They Are so Grounded
by AddysPsycoticMind
Summary: Adopted from WaytoManyImagination. The Seven's plus Nico's parents read the Heroes of Olympus series by order of the Fates. Warning: Panic will ensue. I repeat. Panic will ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**_I don't own this._**

**_Now that that's out of the way, I'm Addy. Welcome to this story. If you've read my other stories, thank you. If not, oh well, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Enjoy this. There will be lots of yelling and being grounded. ;-) _**

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Tristan Mclean was worried. His daughter, Piper, hadn't contacted him from her new boarding school. He walked into his office to try to skype her when a pink light covered him and he vanished.

Emily Zhang was scared. Her son just had a huge burden put on him. She was placing his stick in a box when she was suddenly engulfed in a red light.

Frederick Chase was heartbroken. He just had a phone call from his wife that his daughter, Annabeth, had just ran off. He was sitting in his office at work when he was surrounded by a gray light. He flashed out of his office.

Beryl Grace was drunk. She grabbed her bottle of vodka and tipped it back. She just had to give her son away. Then her daughter ran off. She broke down crying. She didn't even notice when she was covered in a blue light, sobering her up in the process.

Esperanza Valdez was startled. Her son, Leo, was lying in a fireplace that Hera had put him in. "How could you?" she yelled. She picked him up cradling him. She noticed that her son was not burning. She set him down in his crib after talking to him. She was praying to Hephaestus when she was engulfed in a steel gray light.

Maria di Angelo was panicked. Her love, Hades just told her about the death sentence on her kids. She sat in thought watching Bianca and Nico play in a park. She took them to a nanny and disappeared in a flash of black light.

Marie Levesque was proud. Her daughter just gave her life to save hers. She looked forward to death, even though she would probably go to punishment. She smiled one last time at her precious Hazel, and was engulfed in a black light.

Sally Jackson was sad. Her son, Percy, had been missing for two months now. She sighed and made dinner while looking out the window. Her husband, Paul, came over and put his hands on her waist. "Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded. Paul went to the bathroom and Sally was covered in a sea green light.

All these people are parents of our beloved heroes. They disappeared for a reason.

**Olympus, December 21st, 2011**

Eight gods and six goddess was sitting in the throne room waiting patiently (though some impatiently) for their lovers to appear.

"Are you sure it's today?" Asked Ares to Apollo.

"I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure today is the day." Apollo said after sticking his tongue out at Ares.

A flash of bright colors appeared and six women and two men fell out on the floor.

One of the men looked around in wonder though he looked a little scared. "Jeanette?" He asked Aphrodite, "What are you doing here? Where am I?" He had brown hair and bronze skin.

"All in due time, Tristan." She gestured for Zeus to speak.

"We have brought you here to read about your kids. The Fates ordered us to bring each one of you here to learn about your kids future. The muses made five books to read. I want you to introduce yourselves who your child's parent is and what year it is."

The blonde haired guy walked up first. "I'm Frederick Chase, it is the year 2000, and my daughter's mother is Athena."

A woman with black hair and almond shaped eyes walked up. "I am Emily Zhang, it is the year 1996, and my son's father is Mars."

"I am Marie Levesque, it is 1942, and my daughter's father is Pluto." Said a woman with caramel hair and skin the color of a coffee bean.

"I am Esperanza Valdez, it is the year 1999, and my son's father is Hephaestus." said a woman that had skin the color of peanut butter chocolate and had black hair tied up in a braid.

A woman wearing a black shawl stepped up. "I am Maria di Angelo, it is the year 1944 and my kids' father is Hades."

"I am Beryl Grace, it is the year 1989, and my daughter's father is Zeus, and my son's is Jupiter." Said a blonde haired green eyed woman.

Sally had, to this moment, been telling Tristan Mclean about the gods.

Sally stepped forward after she finished telling Tristan everything. "I'm Sally Jackson, it is the year 2011, and my son's father is Poseidon." Sally stepped back to allow Tristan forward.

"I am Tristan Mclean, it is the year 2011 and my daughter's mother is Aphrodite." said the man from the beginning.

"Let's start." Zeus said. "**Chapter 1 Jason . . ."**

**To be continued. . .**

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_**Addy**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi. I'm just re editing this. Changing Ms. Grace's name to her actual name that Rick gave her. Don't mind me. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own this.**_

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_**EVEN BEFORE HE GOT ELECTROCUTED, Jason was having a rotten day.**_

Beryl perked up at the name. "He got electrocuted!" She said, outraged.

_**He woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didn't know. **_

"Now he's got amnesia!" She yelled.

_**That wasn't necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute,**_

"Is that Hazel?" asked Marie.

"Or it could be Piper." said Tristan

"Or Annabeth." said Frederick.

_**but he couldn't figure out who she was or what he was doing there. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think.**_

"Yes, definitely amnesia." said Veronica bitterly.

_**A few dozen kids sprawled in the seats in front of him, listening to iPods, talking, or sleeping. **_

"What is that?" asked Maria.

"An iPod is a listening device that lets you play music." Hermes said before Athena could open her

mouth.

Athena glared at him.

"What?" he said. "If you had told her no one would have understood."

_**They all looked around his age … fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. He didn't know his own age.**_

_**The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky.**_

"Where is my Jason now?" asked Beryl.

Nobody answered her.

_**Jason was pretty sure he didn't live in the desert. He tried to think back … the last thing he remembered …**_

"He doesn't live in the desert. He's supposed to be in California." Beryl said.

_**The girl squeezed his hand. "Jason, you okay?"**_

_**She wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but it didn't work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope—brown, blue, and green.**_

A muscle in Tristan's face twitched.

"I'm guessing that's Piper?" Asked Sally.

Tristan nodded.

_**Jason let go of her hand. "Um, I don't—"**_

"Good. Let go of my daughter's hand." Tristan said, frighteningly calm.

_**In the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, "All right, cupcakes, listen up!"**_

_**The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a sour face, like he'd eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked pretty scary if he hadn't been five feet zero. When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, "Stand up, Coach Hedge!"**_

"That was mean. That kid shouldn't have said that." Said Esperanza.

"_**I heard that!" The coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on Jason, and his scowl deepened.**_

"Why would he do that?" asked Beryl.

_**A jolt went down Jason's spine. He was sure the coach knew he didn't belong there. He was going to call Jason out, demand to know what he was doing on the bus—and Jason wouldn't have a clue what to say.**_

_**But Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. "We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way."  
He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.**_

"Can he talk to them that way?" asked Beryl.

_**Jason looked at the girl next to him. "Can he talk to us that way?"**_

The adults chuckled.

"Like mother like son." joked Hermes.

_**She shrugged. "Always does. This is the Wilderness School. 'Where kids are the animals.'"**_

_**She said it like it was a joke they'd shared before.**_

"_**This is some kind of mistake," Jason said. "I'm not supposed to be here."**_

_**The boy in front of him turned and laughed. "Yeah, right, Jason. We've all been framed! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW."**_

_**The girl blushed. "I didn't steal that car, Leo!"**_

"Oh my _Mijo, _Why would you run away?" Esperanza whispered.

"_**Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You 'talked' the dealer into lending it to you?" He raised his eyebrows at Jason like, Can you believe her?**_

"That's what she would always tell me." Tristan said wistfully.

_**Leo looked like a Latino Santa's elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldn't stop moving—drumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.**_

"Your son has an interesting way to describe my son." commented Esperanza to Beryl.

"_**Anyway," Leo said, "I hope you've got your worksheet, 'cause I used mine for spit wads days ago. Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?"**_

"_**I don't know you," Jason said.**_

_**Leo gave him a crocodile grin. "Sure. I'm not your best friend. I'm his evil clone."**_

"_**Leo Valdez!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "Problem back there?"**_

_**Leo winked at Jason. "Watch this." He turned to the front. "Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?"**_

"What do you have planned?" Esperanza asked.

_**Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vader's. The kids cracked up. The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: "The cow says moo!"**_

"My Leo was always joking around." Esperanza said fondly.

_**The kids howled, and the coach slammed down the megaphone. "Valdez!"**_

_**Piper stifled a laugh. "My god, Leo. How did you do that?"**_

"Humph. My gods." Corrected Zeus.

Tristan looked nervous. "Will he blast me if Piper says something wrong?" He asked Sally.

"I don't really know." She whispered back.

_**Leo slipped a tiny Phillips head screwdriver from his sleeve. "I'm a special boy."**_

"_**Guys, seriously," Jason pleaded. "What am I doing here? Where are we going?"**_

"What I'm worried about is Jason. Why does he have amnesia? Did he get injured? Did someone give it to him? What happened?" Beryl broke down crying. "My poor Jason."

Marie walked up to her and gave her a hug. "It'll be okay." She whispered in her ear while rubbing her back like a small child.

_**Piper knit her eyebrows. "Jason, are you joking?"**_

"_**No! I have no idea—"**_

"_**Aw, yeah, he's joking," Leo said. "He's trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren't you?"**_

"Leo Valdez! Don't you dare do that to your best friend." scolded Esperanza.

_**Jason stared at him blankly.**_

"_**No, I think he's serious." Piper tried to take his hand again, but he pulled it away.**_

"_**I'm sorry," he said. "I don't—I can't—"**_

"Good. I don't like him." Tristan said a scowl on his face.

"_**That's it!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!"**_

_**The rest of the kids cheered.**_

"_**There's a shocker," Leo muttered.**_

_**But Piper kept her eyes on Jason, like she couldn't decide whether to be hurt or worried. **_

"_**Did you hit your head or something? You really don't know who we are?"**_

_**Jason shrugged helplessly. "It's worse than that. I don't know who I am."**_

"It's worse than amnesia. My poor baby." Ms. Grace moaned.

_**The bus dropped them in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, just sitting in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's what it was: the National Museum of Nowhere, Jason thought. A cold wind blew across the desert. Jason hadn't paid much attention to what he was wearing, but it wasn't nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a thin black windbreaker.**_

"_**So, a crash course for the amnesiac," Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was not going to be helpful. "We go to the 'Wilderness School'"—Leo made air quotes with his fingers. "Which means we're 'bad kids.' Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this lovely prison—sorry, 'boarding school'—in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on 'educational' field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?"**_

"_Mijo. _What happened to you?" Esperanza said.

"_**No." Jason glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but he wondered what they'd all done to get sentenced to a school for delinquents, and he wondered why he belonged with them.**_

_**Leo rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We're totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores—"**_

"Leo!" Esperanza scolded.

"_**Leo!" Piper snapped.**_

"Good girl." Esperanza praised.

"_**Fine. Ignore that last part. But we are friends. Well, Piper's a little more than your friend, the last few weeks—"**_

Tristan's eye twitched.

"_**Leo, stop it!" Piper's face turned red. Jason could feel his face burning too. He thought he'd remember if he'd been going out with a girl like Piper.**_

"What's the supposed to mean!" He exploded.

"I'm sure he meant it in a good way. If not, you can talk to him." advised Sally.

"_**He's got amnesia or something," Piper said. "We've got to tell somebody."**_

_**Leo scoffed. "Who, Coach Hedge? He'd try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head."**_

"I hope they don't tell Coach Hedge then." said Beryl.

_**The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line; but every so often he'd glance back at Jason and scowl.**_

"_**Leo, Jason needs help," Piper insisted. "He's got a concussion or—"**_

"Not a concussion." Muttered Jason's mom.

"_**Yo, Piper." One of the other guys dropped back to join them as the group was heading **_

_**into the museum. The new guy wedged himself between Jason and Piper and knocked Leo down. "Don't talk to these bottom-feeders. You're my partner, remember?"**_

Esperanza and Beryl's eye twitched.

_**The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should've come with a warning label: do not stare directly at teeth. permanent blindness may occur.**_

"So . . . Just like Apollo." Hermes said cheekily. He yelped when he got slugged in the arm by said god.

_**He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God's gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. Jason hated him instantly.**_

Aphrodite squealed. "He hates him. He's jealous."

"_**Go away, Dylan," Piper grumbled. "I didn't ask to work with you."**_

"_**Ah, that's no way to be. This is your lucky day!" Dylan hooked his arm through hers and dragged her through the museum entrance. Piper shot one last look over her shoulder like, 911.**_

Artemis looked sympathetic.

_**Leo got up and brushed himself off. "I hate that guy." He offered Jason his arm, like they should go skipping inside together. "'I'm Dylan. I'm so cool, I want to date myself but I can't figure out how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!'"**_

Apollo and Hermes busted out laughing.

"_**Leo," Jason said, "you're weird."**_

"That was mean." said Maria.

"_**Yeah, you tell me that a lot." Leo grinned. "But if you don't remember me, that means I can reuse all my old jokes. Come on!"**_

"Oh no. Not the old jokes." Said Apollo.

"Oh. The horror. The horror." Joked Hermes.

Both of them got smacked.

_**Jason figured that if this was his best friend, his life must be pretty messed up; but he **_

_**followed Leo into the museum.**_

_**They walked through the building, stopping here and there for Coach Hedge to lecture them with his megaphone, which alternately made him sound like a Sith Lord or blared out random comments like "The pig says oink."**_

_**Leo kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from the pockets of his army jacket and putting them together, like he had to keep his hands busy at all times.**_

"_Mijo._" Leo's mom said fondly.

_**Jason was too distracted to pay much attention to the exhibits, but they were about the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai tribe, which owned the museum.**_

_**Some girls kept looking over at Piper and Dylan and snickering. Jason figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching jeans and pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party.**_

Aphrodite gasped then shuddered.

_**One of them said, "Hey, Piper, does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?"**_

Tristan and Aphrodite's muscles in their cheek twitched.

_**The other girls laughed. Even Piper's so-called partner Dylan suppressed a smile. Piper's snowboarding jacket sleeves hid her hands, but Jason got the feeling she was clenching her fists.**_

"_**My dad's Cherokee," she said. "Not Hualapai. 'Course, you'd need a few brain cells to know the difference, Isabel."**_

"Ooo. Burn." Hollered Hermes.

_**Isabel widened her eyes in mock surprise, so that she looked like an owl with a makeup addiction. **_

Athena huffed.

"_**Oh, sorry! Was your mom in this tribe? Oh, that's right. You never knew your mom."**_

Tristan and Aphrodite exploded.

It took three gods to restrain Aphrodite from going down to earth to blast that girl. Frederick and Sally calmed down Tristan.

_**Piper charged her, but before a fight could start, Coach Hedge barked, "Enough back there! Set a good example or I'll break out my baseball bat!"**_

_**The group shuffled on to the next exhibit, but the girls kept calling out little comments to Piper.**_

"_**Good to be back on the rez?" one asked in a sweet voice.**_

Piper's parents looked seconds away from going homicidal.

"_**Dad's probably too drunk to work," another said with fake sympathy. "That's why she turned klepto."**_

Sally leaned over and whispered in Tristan's ear. Ares put a hand on Aphrodite's shoulder.

_**Piper ignored them, but Jason was ready to punch them himself. He might not remember Piper, or even who he was, but he knew he hated mean kids.**_

"Hit them. Hit them. Hit them." Chanted Aphrodite under her breath.

_**Leo caught his arm. "Be cool. Piper doesn't like us fighting her battles. Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they'd be all bowing down to her and screaming, 'We're not worthy!'"**_

"That's true. They would." Commented Tristan.

"_**Why? What about her dad?"**_

_**Leo laughed in disbelief. "You're not kidding? You really don't remember that your girlfriend's dad—"**_

"_**Look, I wish I did, but I don't even remember her, much less her dad."**_

_**Leo whistled. "Whatever. We have to talk when we get back to the dorm."**_

"Let me guess . . . they don't get that chance." Beryl asked rhetorically.

_**They reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some big glass doors led out to a terrace.**_

"_**All right, cupcakes," Coach Hedge announced. "You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork."**_

"Oh no, extra paperwork for pushing someone over the edge. How horrible for you." Emily said sarcastically.

_**The coach opened the doors, and they all stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before them, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a horseshoe-shaped walkway made of glass, so you could see right through it.**_

"_**Man," Leo said. "That's pretty wicked."**_

_**Jason had to agree. Despite his amnesia and his feeling that he didn't belong there, he couldn't help being impressed.**_

_**The canyon was bigger and wider than you could appreciate from a picture. They were up so high that birds circled below their feet. Five hundred feet down, a river snaked along the canyon floor. Banks of storm clouds had moved overhead while they'd been inside, casting shadows like angry faces across the cliffs. As far as Jason could see in any direction, red and gray ravines cut through the desert like some crazy god had taken a knife to it.**_

_**Jason got a piercing pain behind his eyes. Crazy gods ... Where had he come up with that idea? He felt like he'd gotten close to something important—something he should know about. He also got the unmistakable feeling he was in danger.**_

Beryl gasped.

"_**You alright?" Leo asked. "You're not going to throw up over the side, are you? 'Cause I should've brought my camera."**_

"Leo Valdez. You don't just ask your friend if he's okay then say you're going to film it." Esperanza scolded.

_**Jason grabbed the railing. He was shivering and sweaty, but it had nothing to do with heights. He blinked, and the pain behind his eyes subsided.**_

"_**I'm fine," he managed. "Just a headache."**_

"Headache my-"

_**Thunder rumbled overhead. A cold wind almost knocked him sideways.**_

"_**This can't be safe." Leo squinted at the clouds. "Storm's right over us, but it's clear all the way around. Weird, huh?"**_

_**Jason looked up and saw Leo was right. A dark circle of clouds had parked itself over the skywalk, but the rest of the sky in every direction was perfectly clear. Jason had a bad feeling about that.**_

"So do I." Beryl mumbled.

"_**All right, cupcakes!" Coach Hedge yelled. He frowned at the storm like it bothered him too. "We may have to cut this short, so get to work! Remember, complete sentences!"**_

_**The storm rumbled, and Jason's head began to hurt again. Not knowing why he did it, he reached into his jeans pocket and brought out a coin—a circle of gold the size of a half-dollar, but thicker and more uneven. Stamped on one side was a picture of a battle-ax. On the other was some guy's face wreathed in laurels. The inscription said something like ivlivs.**_

"_**Dang, is that gold?" Leo asked. "You been holding out on me!"**_

Esperanza sighed.

_**Jason put the coin away, wondering how he'd come to have it, and why he had the feeling he was going to need it soon.**_

"_**It's nothing," he said. "Just a coin."**_

_**Leo shrugged. Maybe his mind had to keep moving as much as his hands. "Come on," he said. "Dare you to spit over the edge."**_

_**They didn't try very hard on the worksheet. For one thing, Jason was too distracted by the storm and his own mixed-up feelings. For another thing, he didn't have any idea how to "name three sedimentary strata you observe" or "describe two examples of erosion."**_

"That's easy. The answers are-" Athena started but was drowned out.

_**Leo was no help. He was too busy building a helicopter out of pipe cleaners.**_

"_**Check it out." He launched the copter. Jason figured it would plummet, but the pipe-cleaner blades actually spun. The little copter made it halfway across the canyon before it lost momentum and spiraled into the void.**_

"Cool." Said Apollo.

"_**How'd you do that?" Jason asked.**_

_**Leo shrugged. "Would've been cooler if I had some rubber bands."**_

"_**Seriously," Jason said, "are we friends?"**_

"_**Last I checked."**_

"_**You sure? What was the first day we met? What did we talk about?"**_

"_**It was …" Leo frowned. "I don't recall exactly. I'm ADHD, man. You can't expect me to remember details."**_

"_**But I don't remember you at all. I don't remember anyone here. What if—"**_

"_**You're right and everyone else is wrong?" Leo asked. "You think you just appeared here this morning, and we've all got fake memories of you?"**_

_**A little voice in Jason's head said, That's exactly what I think.**_

_**But it sounded crazy. Everybody here took him for granted. Everyone acted like he was a normal part of the class—except for Coach Hedge.**_

"Yes. Go talk to Coach Hedge." Beryl urged.

"_**Take the worksheet." Jason handed Leo the paper. "I'll be right back."**_

_**Before Leo could protest, Jason headed across the skywalk.**_

_**Their school group had the place to themselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourists, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the skywalk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that blinding white smile. She kept pushing him away, and when she saw Jason she gave him a look like, Throttle this guy for me.**_

"Yes. Jason, please do." Aphrodite murmured.

_**Jason motioned for her to hang on. He walked up to Coach Hedge, who was leaning on his baseball bat, studying the storm clouds.**_

"_**Did you do this?" the coach asked him.**_

_**Jason took a step back. "Do what?" It sounded like the coach had just asked if he'd made the thunderstorm.**_

_**Coach Hedge glared at him, his beady little eyes glinting under the brim of his cap. "Don't play games with me, kid. What are you doing here, and why are you messing up my job?"**_

"_**You mean...you don't know me?" Jason said. "I'm not one of your students?"**_

_**Hedge snorted. "Never seen you before today."**_

_**Jason was so relieved he almost wanted to cry. At least he wasn't going insane. He was in the wrong place. "Look, sir, I don't know how I got here. I just woke up on the school bus. All I know is I'm not supposed to be here."**_

"_**Got that right." Hedge's gruff voice dropped to a murmur, like he was sharing a secret. **_

"_**You got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you; but you can't fool me. I've been smelling monster for days now. I knew we had an infiltrator, but you don't smell like a monster. You smell like a half-blood. So—who are you, and where'd you come from?"**_

_**Most of what the coach said didn't make sense, but Jason decided to answer honestly. "I don't know who I am. I don't have any memories. You've got to help me."**_

_**Coach Hedge studied his face like was trying to read Jason's thoughts.**_

"_**Great," Hedge muttered. "You're being truthful."**_

"_**Of course I am! And what was all that about monsters and half-bloods? Are those code words or something?"**_

Ares snorted.

_**Hedge narrowed his eyes. Part of Jason wondered if the guy was just nuts. But the other part knew better.**_

"_**Look, kid," Hedge said, "I don't know who you are. I just know what you are, and it means trouble. Now I got to protect three of you rather than two. Are you the special package? Is that it?"**_

"Special package?" Asked Emily.

"_**What are you talking about?"**_

"That's what I'd like to know." mumbled Frederick.

_**Hedge looked at the storm. The clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right over the skywalk.**_

"_**This morning," Hedge said, "I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They're coming to pick up a special package, but they wouldn't give me details. I thought to myself, Fine. The two I'm watching are pretty powerful, older than most. I know they're being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. I figure that's why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then you pop up out of nowhere. So, are you the special package?"**_

"Yes. Yes, he is." Apollo said deadpan.

_**The pain behind Jason's eyes got worse than ever. Half-bloods. Camp. Monsters. He still didn't know what Hedge was talking about, but the words gave him a massive brain freeze—like his mind was trying to access information that should've been there but wasn't.**_

_**He stumbled, and Coach Hedge caught him. For a short guy, the coach had hands like steel. "Whoa, there, cupcake. You say you got no memories, huh? Fine. I'll just have to watch you, too, until the team gets here. We'll let the director figure things out."**_

"_**What director?" Jason said. "What camp?"**_

"_**Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before—"**_

"You just had to say something." Apollo said, exasperated.

_**Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.**_

"Oh no!" Marie said horrified.

"_**I had to say something," Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!"**_

No one bothered to make fun of Apollo for saying the same thing as the old goat they were too busy wrapped up in the story.

"_**I thought you said this thing was stable!" Jason shouted over the wind.**_

"_**Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!"**_

No one commented.

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**_Addy_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_I don't own this. Enjoy_**

* * *

Zeus passed the book to Poseidon. Poseidon looked about ready to argue when he looked over at Sally. She was looking at him expectantly. He sighed silently.

_**THE STORM CHURNED INTO A MINIATURE HURRICANE. Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.**_

There were many raised eyebrows at this, mostly the gods.

"I think it's hereditary. Percy has the same weird descriptions." Apollo whispered to Hermes.

He yelped when a second later a bolt of lightning struck him and he got doused in cold water.

The reading barely paused.

_**Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. Jason skidded across the slick floor.**_

_**Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing,**_

Esperanza gasped.

Hephaestus looked concerned as well but hid it. He hadn't heard about this part.

_**but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.**_

"Thanks." Esperanza breathed.

"_**Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.**_

"_**Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.**_

_**Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Jason thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident—telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.**_

Aphrodite beamed.

Tristan looked thoughtful. "She still wears that?" He asked.

The reading paused.

"Wears what?" asked Sally.

"That old snowboarding jacket. We went a couple years ago. I didn't think she kept it." He said back.

The other adults shared looks. If he didn't know that, then he must either be very busy or he doesn't care. They hoped it was the former. If it was the latter . . . No. They refused to believe that he didn't care.

_**Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back.**_

_**Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.**_

_**Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.**_

"_**Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.**_

_**Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm.**_

"Monster." Most of the gods hissed.

"Wait. So if you all exist, that means monsters do as well?" Tristan asked nervously.

"Yup." Apollo nodded. "Lots of monsters."

"You're not helping." Aphrodite hissed at him.

"_**Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."**_

_**He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.**_

Tristan looked worried.

"She'll be okay." Sally assured. "She's alive in your time, isn't she?"

Tristan nodded. "Yes. Yes she is."

"_**Piper!" Jason tried to charge forward, but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.**_

"_**Coach," Jason said, "let me go!"**_

"_**Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."**_

"_**What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"**_

_**The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps—like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat—but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.**_

"Coach _Hedge_?" asked Tristan softly. He was trying to put together the pieces. That was his old life coach. Piper must have placed him there to protect him. He smiled a little. But then got brought back into worry when the reading continued.

_**Dylan gave him that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, Coach. Let the boy attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they retired you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."**_

_**The coach made an angry sound like an animal bleating. "That's it, cupcake. You're going down."**_

"_**You think you can protect three half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan laughed. "Good luck."**_

_**Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around him. Leo flew off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow he managed to twist in midair, and slammed sideways into the canyon wall. He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally he grabbed a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk and hung there by his fingertips.**_

Esperanza gasped. "He's still alive, right?"

The gods looked down. No one would answer her.

Esperanza let out a strangled sob. "No. Not my _mijo_. What happened. How did he -"

"He doesn't die in this book." Athena said.

"Just a quick question, how many books are there? And why do we all have to be here? Obviously these books are about their kids." Dr. Chase flicked his hand in gesture over to Tristan, Esperanza and Beryl.

"Not true." said Apollo. "There are five books and each of your kids have a point of view in them. This first book is called The Lost Hero. The second is The Son of Neptune and will be in Percy Jackson, Frank Zhang, and Hazel Levesque's point of view. The next one after that is The Mark of Athena and will feature Annabeth Chase's point of view. The one after that will be The House of Hades and the last one will be The Blood of Olympus which will have Nico di Angelo's point of view. If we have time, we can read the first series before this, which will have more of Annabeth, Percy, Nico in it."

Everyone looked, shocked at him.

"What? I can be mature at times."

"At times?" scoffed Athena.

She was about to say something else but was drowned out as Poseidon began to read again.

"_**Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"**_

_**Coach Hedge cursed and tossed Jason his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hope you're good. Keep that thing busy"—he stabbed a thumb at Dylan—"while I get Leo."**_

"_**Get him how?" Jason demanded. "You going to fly?"**_

"_**Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and Jason almost had a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He had hooves—goat's hooves. Which meant those things on his head, Jason realized, weren't bumps. They were horns.**_

"_**You're a faun," Jason said.**_

"_**Satyr!" Hedge snapped. "Fauns are Roman. But we'll talk about that later."**_

_**Hedge leaped over the railing. He sailed toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the cliff with impossible agility, finding footholds no bigger than postage stamps, dodging whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he picked his way toward Leo.**_

"_**Isn't that cute!" Dylan turned toward Jason. "Now it's your turn, boy."**_

_**Jason threw the club. It seemed useless with the winds so strong, but the club flew right at Dylan, even curving when he tried to dodge, and smacked him on the head so hard he fell to his knees.**_

_**Piper wasn't as dazed as she appeared.**_

Tristan breathed a sigh of relief.

_**Her fingers closed around the club when it rolled next to her, but before she could use it, Dylan rose. Blood—golden blood—trickled from his forehead.**_

"_**Nice try, boy." He glared at Jason. "But you'll have to do better."**_

_**The skywalk shuddered. Hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, kids stopped banging on the doors. They backed away, watching in terror.**_

_**Dylan's body dissolved into smoke, as if his molecules were coming unglued. He had the same face, the same brilliant white smile, but his whole form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouted black smoky wings and rose above the skywalk. If angels could be evil, Jason decided, they would look exactly like this.**_

"What kind of monster is that? And how do they fight it?" Tristan asked.

Sally thought for a moment. "An _anemoi theulli. _A storm spirit."

"_**You're a ventus," Jason said,**_

"Or that. I could've sworn it was the other." Sally muttered to herself.

_**though he had no idea how he knew that word. "A storm spirit."**_

_**Dylan's laugh sounded like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigod. Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said a third was coming—someone special. She'll reward me greatly for your death!"**_

_**Two more funnel clouds touched down on either side of Dylan and turned into venti—ghostly young men with smoky wings and eyes that flickered with lightning.**_

_**Piper stayed down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face was pale, but she gave Jason a determined look, and he understood the message: Keep their attention. I'll brain them from behind.**_

_**Cute, smart, and violent. Jason wished he remembered having her as a girlfriend.**_

Tristan's eye twitched again.

Aphrodite beamed. "Aw, young love." she cooed.

_**He clenched his fists and got ready to charge, but he never got a chance.**_

_**Dylan raised his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasted Jason in the chest.**_

Beryl gasped. "Is - Is Jason alive as well?" she asked timidly.

"Yes. Unfortunately." Tristan mumbled.

Sally heard him though. She didn't comment.

"Yes. Jason is alive. Now no more questions about whether they live or die. Read the books and find out." Zeus ordered.

_**Bang! Jason found himself flat on his back. His mouth tasted like burning aluminum foil. He lifted his head and saw that his clothes were smoking. The lightning bolt had gone straight though his body and blasted off his left shoe. His toes were black with soot.**_

_**The storm spirits were laughing. The winds raged. Piper was screaming defiantly, but it all sounded tinny and far away.**_

_**Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Coach Hedge climbing the cliff with Leo on his back. Piper was on her feet, desperately swinging the club to fend off the two extra storm spirits, but they were just toying with her. The club went right through their bodies like they weren't there. And Dylan, a dark and winged tornado with eyes, loomed over Jason.**_

"_**Stop," Jason croaked. He rose unsteadily to his feet, and he wasn't sure who was more surprised: him, or the storm spirits.**_

"_**How are you alive?" Dylan's form flickered. "That was enough lightning to kill twenty men!"**_

"Son of Jupiter." Beryl said proudly.

"_**My turn," Jason said.**_

_**He reached in his pocket and pulled out the gold coin. He let his instincts take over, flipping the coin in the air like he'd done it a thousand times. He caught it in his palm, and suddenly he was holding a sword—a wickedly sharp double-edged weapon. The ridged grip fit his fingers perfectly, and the whole thing was gold—hilt, handle, and blade.**_

_**Dylan snarled and backed up. He looked at his two comrades and yelled, "Well? Kill him!"**_

_**The other storm spirits didn't look happy with that order, but they flew at Jason, their fingers crackling with electricity.**_

_**Jason swung at the first spirit. His blade passed through it, and the creature's smoky form disintegrated. The second spirit let loose a bolt of lightning, but Jason's blade absorbed the charge. Jason stepped in—one quick thrust, and the second storm spirit dissolved into gold powder.**_

_**Dylan wailed in outrage. He looked down as if expecting his comrades to re-form, but their gold dust remains dispersed in the wind. "Impossible! Who are you, half-blood?"**_

_**Piper was so stunned she dropped her club. "Jason, how … ?"**_

_**Then Coach Hedge leaped back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo like a sack of flour.**_

Esperanza huffed.

"_**Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan.**_

"_**Curse it, boy!" he snapped at Jason. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"**_

_**Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are—I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"**_

_**Dylan hissed at them, but Jason could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy all demigods.**_

"What mistress is he talking about? That's the second time he had said that." EMily asked.

Queen Marie gasped. "It's _her._ They are fighting _Her._"

Hades nodded. "Yes. They are." He confirmed.

Queen Marie's body went ridgid. "How old are they?!" She demanded.

"Let's see . . . Annabeth is 16. Percy is 16. Piper is 15? I think. Jason is 15. Leo is 14. Frank is 16. Hazel is 13. And Nico is 14." Apollo rattled off.

Queen Marie looked close to tears. "No. No." She kept muttering. "My poor Hazel. No."

Sally walked up to her. "It's alright. They will win. They have to in order for us to be standing here right now. They all know about this." Sally gestured at the gods. "If they didn't win, they wouldn't be here now."

"All my fault." Queen Marie kept muttering.

Sally looked helplessly at the gods.

"Marie." A voice said.

She looked up to see Hades coming towards her.

"They will win. Though we will lose some. They will win." he said.

She nodded and steeled herself.

_**This war you cannot win."**_

_**Above them, the storm exploded into a full-force gale. Cracks expanded in the skywalk. Sheets of rain poured down, and Jason had to crouch to keep his balance.**_

_**A hole opened in the clouds—a swirling vortex of black and silver.**_

"_**The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouted with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!"**_

_**He lunged at Jason, but Piper tackled the monster from behind. Even though he was made of smoke, Piper somehow managed to connect. Both of them went sprawling. Leo, Jason, and the coach surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward. Jason and Coach Hedge landed on their butts. Jason's sword skidded across the glass. Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown off Dylan's back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging by one hand over the abyss.**_

Tristan gasped.

_**Jason started toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"**_

_**He grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing a half-conscious Leo below him. The storm spun faster, pulling them upward like a vacuum cleaner.**_

"_**Help!" Piper yelled. "Somebody!"**_

_**Then she slipped, screaming as she fell.**_

Now Esperanza and Tristan looked worried.

"_**Jason, go!" Hedge yelled. "Save her!"**_

_**The coach launched himself at the spirit with some serious goat fu—lashing out with his hooves, knocking Leo free from the spirit's grasp. Leo dropped safely to the floor, but Dylan grappled the coach's arms instead. Hedge tried to head-butt him, then kicked him and called him a cupcake. They rose into the air, gaining speed.**_

_**Coach Hedge shouted down once more, "Save her! I got this!" Then the satyr and the storm spirit spiraled into the clouds and disappeared.**_

_**Save her? Jason thought. She's gone!**_

"No. Don't think that. I mean, obviously you save her, but that doesn't mean she won't get injured. Right?" Tristan muttered.

_**But again his instincts won. He ran to the railing, thinking, I'm a lunatic, and jumped over the side.**_

_**Jason wasn't scared of heights. He was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. He figured he hadn't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper, but he tucked in his arms and plummeted headfirst. The sides of the canyon raced past like a film on fast-forward. His face felt like it was peeling off.**_

_**In a heartbeat, he caught up with Piper, who was flailing wildly. He tackled her waist and closed his eyes, waiting for death. Piper screamed. The wind whistled in Jason's ears. He wondered what dying would feel like. He was thinking, probably not so good. He wished somehow they could never hit bottom.**_

_**Suddenly the wind died. Piper's scream turned into a strangled gasp. Jason thought they must be dead, but he hadn't felt any impact.**_

"_**J-J-Jason," Piper managed.**_

_**He opened his eyes. They weren't falling. They were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river.**_

"So . . . Jason can fly?" asked Frederick.

Beryl beamed.

_**He hugged Piper tight, and she repositioned herself so she was hugging him too. They were nose to nose. Her heart beat so hard, Jason could feel it through her clothes.**_

_**Her breath smelled like cinnamon. She said, "How did you—"**_

"_**I didn't," he said. "I think I would know if I could fly…"**_

_**But then he thought: I don't even know who I am.**_

_**He imagined going up. Piper yelped as they shot a few feet higher. They weren't exactly floating, Jason decided. He could feel pressure under his feet like they were balancing at the top of a geyser.**_

"So cool." Someone said.

"_**The air is supporting us," he said.**_

"_**Well, tell it to support us more! Get us out of here!"**_

_**Jason looked down. The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then he looked up. The rain had stopped. The storm clouds didn't seem as bad, but they were still rumbling and flashing. There was no guarantee the spirits were gone for good. He had no idea what had happened to Coach Hedge. And he'd left Leo up there, barely conscious.**_

Esperanza looked up hopeful. "Please save Leo."

She wondered where she was at that he had to go to this school. She got the reason Piper and Jason was. Well . . . kind of why Jason was there. But Leo? She can't imagine why Leo would run away. Only if she was . . . No. She couldn't be. Her _mijo_ needed her. She couldn't be dead.

"_**We have to help them," Piper said, as if reading his thoughts. "Can you—"**_

"_**Let's see." Jason thought Up, and instantly they shot skyward.**_

_**The fact he was riding the winds might've been cool under different circumstances, but he was too much in shock. As soon as they landed on the skywalk, they ran to Leo.**_

_**Piper turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he wasn't dead.**_

"_**Stupid … ugly … goat," he muttered.**_

"_**Where did he go?" Piper asked.**_

_**Leo pointed straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."**_

"_**Twice," Jason said.**_

_**Leo groaned even louder. "What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword … I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?"**_

"Nope. Not hallucinating." Esperanza said nervously.

_**Jason had forgotten about the sword. He walked over to where it was lying and picked it up. The blade was well balanced. On a hunch he flipped it. Midspin, the sword shrank back into a coin and landed in his palm.**_

"_**Yep," Leo said. "Definitely hallucinating."**_

_**Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothes. "Jason, those things—"**_

"_**Venti," he said. "Storm spirits."**_

"_**Okay. You acted like … like you'd seen them before. Who are you?"**_

_**He shook his head. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't know."**_

_**The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn't seem to be having any luck.**_

"_**Coach Hedge said he had to protect three people," Jason remembered. "I think he meant us."**_

"_**And that thing Dylan turned into …" Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was hitting on me. He called us... what, demigods?"**_

_**Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what demi means," he said. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?"**_

_**There was a brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen.**_

"_**We need to get off this thing," Jason said. "Maybe if we—"**_

"_**Ohhh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses."**_

Sally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the other parents. "Those are pegasi. The Greek camp is coming to their rescue."

"Greek camp? What would be the other one if not Greek. Oh. The Romans." Frederick worked out.

_**At first Jason thought Leo had hit his head too hard. Then he saw a dark shape descending from the east—too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. As it got closer he could see a pair of winged animals—gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.**_

"_**Reinforcements," he said. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."**_

"_**Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet. "That sounds painful."**_

"_**And where are they extracting us to?" Piper asked.**_

_**Jason watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking. Two teenagers stood in the chariot—a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks. They both wore jeans and orange T-shirts, with shields tossed over their backs. The girl leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulled a knife and ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.**_

"_**Where is he?" the girl demanded. Her gray eyes were fierce and a little startling.**_

Frederick groaned.

"Annabeth?" Esperanza asked.

Frederick nodded. "Though I dread to ask who is the 'He' she is referring to."

"_**Where's who?" Jason asked.**_

_**She frowned like his answer was unacceptable. Then she turned to Leo and Piper. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"**_

_**The coach's first name was Gleeson? Jason might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary. Gleeson Hedge: football coach, goat man, protector of demigods. Sure. Why not?**_

_**Leo cleared his throat. "He got taken by some … tornado things."**_

"_**Venti," Jason said. "Storm spirits."**_

_**The blond girl arched an eyebrow. "You mean anemoi thuellai?**_

"That's it. I knew I was right. But why did Jason call them Venti?" Sally exclaimed.

"Romans." Athena said in slight disgust. "They have different names."

Sally nodded. "Okay."

_**That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"**_

_**Jason did his best to explain, though it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes. About halfway through the story, the other guy from the chariot came over. He stood there glaring at them, his arms crossed. He had a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps, which seemed a little unusual.**_

_**When Jason had finished his story, the blond girl didn't look satisfied. "No, no, no! She told me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer."**_

"_**Annabeth," the bald guy grunted. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.**_

_**Jason hadn't thought much about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. His bare foot felt okay, but it looked like a lump of charcoal.**_

"_**The guy with one shoe," said the bald dude. "He's the answer."**_

"_**No, Butch," the girl insisted. "He can't be. I was tricked." She glared at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me?" she screamed. "What have you done with him?"**_

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

Hera huffed and muttered things under her breath.

_**The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.**_

"_**Annabeth," said the bald dude, Butch, "we gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."**_

_**She fumed for a moment. "Fine." She fixed Jason with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."**_

_**She turned on her heel and marched toward the chariot.**_

_**Piper shook her head. "What's her problem? What's going on?"**_

"_**Seriously," Leo agreed.**_

"_**We have to get you out of here," Butch said. "I'll explain on the way."**_

"_**I'm not going anywhere with her." Jason gestured toward the blonde. "She looks like she wants to kill me."**_

_**Butch hesitated. "Annabeth's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was supposed to be the answer to her problem."**_

"_**What problem?" Piper asked.**_

"_**She's been looking for one of our campers, who's been missing three days," Butch said. "She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped he'd be here."**_

"_**Who?" Jason asked.**_

"_**Her boyfriend," Butch said. "A guy named Percy Jackson."**_

"Excuse me. Annabeth is dating her son." Frederick asked shocked.

"Yes. They have been for about three months now, but they have known each other since they were twelve. He gave up immortality for her." Aphrodite said.

Everyone looked shocked.

Sally looked surprised. Her son hadn't told her he got offered godhood.

"I guess he's alright." Frederick muttered.

"Who wants to read next?" asked Poseidon.

"I will." said Artemis. She got the book from her uncle.

"_**Chapter 3 Piper . . ."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_I don't own this. Enjoy_**

* * *

_**AFTER A MORNING OF STORM SPIRIT'S, goat men, and flying boyfriends, Piper should've been losing her mind. Instead, all she felt was dread.**_

_**It's starting, she thought. Just like the dream said.**_

"Dream?" asked Tristan.

"Demigods sometimes have dreams. Some of them are about the future, others, about what's going on in their world right now, still others, are the gods trying to communicate with them, and some of them are enemies trying to scare them." Sally explained.

_**She stood in back of the chariot with Leo and Jason, while the bald guy, Butch, handled the reins, and the blond girl, Annabeth, adjusted a bronze navigation device. They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through Piper's jacket. Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering.**_

_**The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so Piper wondered if Jason would catch her again if she fell. That had been the most disturbing part of the morning—not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was.**_

_**All semester she'd worked on a relationship,**_

Artemis' voice went hard at that.

_**trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally she'd gotten the big dope to kiss her. **_

Aphrodite whispered to Tristan that it was only the Mist that caused that.

It didn't make him feel any better. Now he wished that it did happen, if only to save his daughter from a broken heart.

_**The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything—that horrible voice, giving her horrible news. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Jason.**_

_**Now she didn't even have him. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and she was stuck in the worst "do over" of all time. She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her.**_

_**Meanwhile, Leo was being annoying, as usual. "This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"**_

"_**A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."**_

"_**Half-Blood?" Piper was immediately on guard. She hated that word. **_

Some people looked confused.

Artemis read further and growled. "How dare some one call that maiden that! It's rude and- and-"

Apollo took the book from his sister. He read what was written and scowled. He read it anyway.

"It says:

_**She'd been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment.**_

There was a lot of yelling. Mostly by Tristan, Aphrodite, Esperanza, Emily, and Queen Marie.

Hermes sat by and summoned some popcorn. "Want some?" He offered to Ares.

"Sure." Ares took some popcorn.

A loud thunderclap shook the room. "Enough. Hermes, Ares, put the popcorn away. Everyone else sit down and shut up. We have four more books to read after this one is done. That will at least take a few weeks. So stop yelling." Zeus yelled. "Artemis." His voice was a lot softer. "Read please."

"_**Is that some kind of bad joke?"**_

"_**She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."**_

_**Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."**_

_**Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"**_

"_**Got a problem with that?" Butch said.**_

"_**No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."**_

"_**Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."**_

"_**Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.**_

Everyone laughed.

Esperanza sighed, exasperated.

"_**I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.**_

"_**Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're … you think we're—"**_

_**Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered, and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"**_

_**Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot.**_

_**The wind roared. Piper glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except these looked more like horses than angels.**_

_**She started to say, "Why are they—"**_

"_**Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough."**_

_**Butch flicked the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Piper's stomach crawled into her throat. Her vision went black, and when it came back to normal, they were in a totally different place.**_

_**A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Piper saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire.**_

"It sounds pretty." Emily said softly.

_**But before she could really process all she was seeing, their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.**_

The mortal parents gasped.

_**Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of five people was just too much.**_

"_**The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"**_

_**Piper remembered something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement.**_

Apollo laughed.

At the looks he was getting he explained. "Percy said the exact same thing when he fell into a huge body of water."

Now everyone was laughing.

_**And then—BOOM.**_

_**The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn't know which way was up.**_

_**She just had time to think: This would be a stupid way to faces appeared in the green murk—girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smiled at her, grabbed her shoulders, and hauled her up.**_

_**They tossed her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore. Nearby, Butch stood in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses looked okay, but they were flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere. Jason, Leo, and Annabeth were already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took Piper by the arms and helped her stand. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because a detail of campers ran up with big bronze leaf blower–looking things and blasted Piper with hot air; and in about two seconds her clothes were dry.**_

_**There were at least twenty campers milling around—the youngest maybe nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen—and all of them had orange T-shirts like Annabeth's. Piper looked back at the water and saw those strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They waved like, toodle-oo, and disappeared into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch.**_

"_**Annabeth!" A guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"**_

Apollo grinned at the mention of his son.

"_**Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."**_

_**Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo, and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"**_

"_**Claimed?" Leo asked.**_

_**Before Annabeth could explain, Will said, "Any sign of Percy?"**_

"_**No," Annabeth admitted.**_

_**The campers muttered. Piper had no idea who this guy Percy was, but his disappearance seemed to be a big deal.**_

_**Another girl stepped forward—tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make jeans and an orange T-shirt look glamorous.**_

Aphrodite looked sheepish. "I'm sorry for everything this girl says or does. Sometimes I act spoiled and bratty with mortals and this is the result."

_**She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, then curled her lip at Piper as if she were a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a Dumpster.**_

Tristan looked angry.

Aphrodite looked sorry.

_**Piper knew this girl's type. She'd dealt with a lot of girls like this at Wilderness School and every other stupid school her father had sent her to. Piper knew instantly they were going to be enemies.**_

"_**Well," the girl said, "I hope they're worth the trouble."**_

_**Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"**_

Esperanza looked angry.

"_**No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us—like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"**_

_**Piper had the same questions, but a wave of anxiety washed over her. Worth the trouble. If they only knew about her dream. They had no idea…**_

"_**Jason," Annabeth said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew"—she frowned at the glamour girl—"all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."**_

"_**Hey," Piper said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."**_

_**Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"**_

"That was uncalled for." Tristan said looking even angrier.

_**Piper stepped forward, ready to smack her, but Annabeth said, "Piper, stop."**_

_**Piper did. She wasn't a bit scared of Drew, but Annabeth didn't seem like somebody she wanted for an enemy.**_

Athena and Fredrick beamed.

"_**We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, with another pointed look at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."**_

"_**Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked.**_

_**Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. At first Piper thought she'd done something wrong. Then she realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch behind her. She turned and almost forgot how to breathe.**_

_**Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image —a fiery hammer.**_

Esperanza and Hephaestus smiled softly.

"_**That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."**_

"_**What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?"**_

"Why would his hair be on fire?" asked Maria.

The mortal parents looked equally as mystified while the gods didn't answer.

_**He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.**_

"_**This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse—"**_

"Wait, curse?" Esperanza looked horrified.

"Nothing you need to worry about. He doesn't get hurt, if that's what you're asking." said Athena.

"_**Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"**_

"_**By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"**_

_**All eyes turned to him.**_

"_**Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"**_

"_**I'm not sure."**_

"_**Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek.**_

Hephaestus looked offended while the other gods who knew what Star Trek laughed.

"What is Star Trek?" asked Maria.

"Star Trek is a TV Show about aliens from space. One of the races of aliens are Vulcans." Hermes explained.

Now she and Queen Marie laughed.

_**What are you talking about?"**_

"_**Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."**_

_**The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of what? Who?"**_

_**Annabeth turned to the guy with the bow. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."**_

"_**Sure, Annabeth."**_

"_**What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"**_

"_**Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins.**_

Everyone laughed again.

"Apollo your son watches Star Trek?" Hermes laughed.

Apollo turned red. "At least it's better than Star Wars."

Hermes stopped laughing. He turned to glare at Apollo.

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Artemis.

"Stop it, both of you. You two will go at it for hours if we don't stop you. Besides, we all know Doctor Who is the best Alien TV Show out there."

Mouths dropped.

"Little Sis," Apollo started but was cut off as Artemis started to read.

_**Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason. Usually Piper didn't like it when other girls checked out her boyfriend, but Annabeth didn't seem to care that he was a good-looking guy. She studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint. Finally she said, "Hold out your arm."**_

_**Piper saw what she was looking at, and her eyes widened.**_

_**Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. **_

"Jason has a tattoo?" asked Beryl. She looked upset.

"Wait a minute, since those two were . . . and Percy's over . . . and Jason has a . . . that means that . . ." Sally looked resigned after muttering all of that. "At least I hope its cool."

_**How had Piper never noticed it before? She'd looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just appeared, but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters spqr.**_

"_**I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"**_

_**Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."**_

_**The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them a lot—almost like a declaration of war.**_

The gods tensed.

"It is like a declaration of war." whispered Demeter. She thought of her kids in both camps.

"_**They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed.**_

"_**They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean … I think so. I don't remember."**_

_**No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.**_

"Wait, Annabeth's the leader at that camp?" Frederick asked.

"One of them." Sally said. "My son is the other."

Frederick nodded.

"_**He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Drew, would you—"**_

"_**Absolutely." Drew laced her arm through Jason's. "This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. He's … an interesting guy." She flashed Piper a smug look and led Jason toward the big blue house on the hill.**_

_**The crowd began to disperse, until only Annabeth and Piper were left.**_

"_**Who's Chiron?" Piper asked. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"**_

_**Annabeth hesitated. "Good question, Piper. Come on, I'll give you a tour. We need to talk."**_

"Done." Artemis said.

"I'll read." Apollo scooped up the book. "By the way, sister, we have to talk about the shows we watch. _**Chapter 4 Piper"**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**PIPER SOON REALIZED ANNABETH'S HEART wasn't in the tour.**_

_**She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered—magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters —but she showed no excitement, as if her mind were elsewhere. She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; they'd traveled that far on the chariot.) Annabeth explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter.**_

_**Piper wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known Piper and her friends belonged here. She wondered if she'd have to stay full-time, or if she'd be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting? A million questions bubbled in her head, but given Annabeth's mood, she decided to keep quiet.**_

"Not good." Athena said. "She should keep her head into what she's doing."

Aphrodite scowled at Athena and Hera.

"She had just gotten together with her boyfriend, that she has loved at least since she was thirteen, and he is missing. Cut her some slack." Aphrodite defended.

_**As they climbed a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden,**_

Apollo grinned while he was reading.

_**another silver.**_

Artemis smiled.

_**One had grass on the roof.**_

Demeter beamed.

_**Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches.**_

Ares whooped.

_**One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.**_

Hades smirked.

_**All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.**_

"_**The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god's children to live."**_

_**She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news.**_

"_**You're saying Mom was a goddess."**_

_**Annabeth nodded. "You're taking this awfully calmly."**_

_**Piper couldn't tell her why. She couldn't admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she'd had for years, arguments she'd had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. Soon they will find you, demigod, that voice had rumbled. When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live.**_

The mortal parents shivered.

"Wait, 'Father might live' that means that I've . . ." Tristan paled.

"Yes. Tristan had been captured by their enemies." Aphrodite confirmed.

_**Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"**_

"Aphrodite." Hermes said cheekily.

The gods groaned.

"Hermes that wasn't funny." Aphrodite said.

"_**We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what—fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."**_

"_**The deal?"**_

"_**They made a promise last summer … well, long story… but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign."**_

_**Piper wondered if she'd have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe.**_

The gods looked offended.

Apollo and Hermes stifled snickers.

_**Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she'd be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems. "Why thirteen?"**_

"_**The older you get," Annabeth said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."**_

"_**Like Coach Hedge?"**_

_**Annabeth nodded. "He's—he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."**_

_**Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She'd seen the guy eat. She'd never liked the coach much, but she couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save them.**_

"_**What happened to him?" she asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he … is he gone for good?"**_

"_**Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits … difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."**_

"_**Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.**_

"_**He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."**_

Athena and Poseidon flinched.

"_**Tartarus?"**_

"_**A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."**_

_**Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies. That made her feel even worse.**_

_**She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom's cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she'd have to betray. Do what we tell you, the voice had said. Or the consequences will be painful. She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.**_

"Poor girl." Artemis mumbled.

"_**It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."**_

_**I doubt that, Piper thought.**_

"_**I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," she said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."**_

"_**Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing.**_

The gods nodded while the mortals looked shocked.

"_**Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."**_

The mortal parents all nodded now. Some of them sighed.

Frederick looked down. His daughter had just ran away and seeing now that it is winter and she is still at camp means she doesn't come home.

"_**Seriously?"**_

"_**Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—"**_

"_**Leo's ADHD," Piper said.**_

"_**Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive—we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy—" Her face darkened. "Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How'd you get in trouble?"**_

_**Usually when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason she found herself telling the truth.**_

"_**I steal stuff," she said. "Well, not really steal …"**_

Hermes groaned. "Aphrodite, your daughter would make the perfect thief, if only she didn't confess."

He yelped when Aphrodite charmspoke Apollo to hit him in the arm.

"_**Is your family poor?"**_

_**Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it … I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."**_

"Oh, Pipes." Tristan said softly. Now he understood why she did it. She just wanted to spend time with him and he was brushing her off. He decided to change things. When he gets back, he is going to spend more time with Piper.

_**Annabeth nodded. "I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"**_

"_**Well … nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers—even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."**_

"What?" Asked all the mortals.

"You'll see." Aphrodite said mysteriously.

_**Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Annabeth just nodded.**_

"_**Interesting. If your dad were the god, I'd say you're a child of Hermes, god of thieves. He can be pretty convincing.**_

"Aw. Thanks." Hermes said.

_**But your dad is mortal…"**_

"_**Very," Piper agreed.**_

_**Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."**_

_**Piper almost hoped it wouldn't happen. If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been asked to do? Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld.**_

Hades snorted.

Zeus and Poseidon looked at him with curiosity.

"What did he do?" Poseidon asked.

"He failed his Ancient Greek class." Hades said still snickering.

Jaws dropped.

"Really? How on earth did he do that?" Athena asked stumped.

"I don't know actually. He kept going on about how the teacher was a monster, but I checked the teacher was mortal, he just, didn't do the homework." Hades said. "That or the teacher hated him."

The gods slumped back in their thrones.

"Apollo." Zeus said.

_**Annabeth was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart. If anyone could figure out Piper's secret …**_

"_**Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else I need to check."**_

_**They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.**_

Apollo pouted. "It does not."

"Apollo." Zeus said.

Apollo sighed.

"_**What's in there?" Piper asked.**_

_**Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing."**_

"_**Your friend lives in a cave?"**_

_**Annabeth almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"**_

"_**Find Percy," Piper guessed.**_

_**All the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was so full of pain, Piper felt like a voyeur.**_

_**She forced herself to look away. Her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch—like a fuzzy gold bath mat.**_

The gods snorted.

_**No … not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.**_

_**Okay, Piper thought. Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece.**_

_**Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first she thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.**_

"_**That's—a dragon," she stammered. "That's the actual Golden Fleece?"**_

_**Annabeth nodded, but it was clear she wasn't really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. "Sorry. A little tired."**_

"_**You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have been searching for your boyfriend?"**_

"_**Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes."**_

"Oh. Honey." Sally murmured.

"_**And you've got no idea what happened to him?"**_

_**Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he—he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."**_

_**Piper was thinking: Three days ago. The same night she'd had her dream. "How long were you guys together?"**_

"_**Since August," Annabeth said. "August eighteenth."**_

"_**Almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper said. "But we've only been together a few weeks."**_

_**Annabeth winced. "Piper … about that. Maybe you should sit down."**_

_**Piper knew where this was going. Panic started building inside her, like her lungs were filling with water. "Look, I know Jason thought—he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."**_

"_**Piper," Annabeth said sadly. "It's the Mist."**_

"_**Missed … what?"**_

"_**M-i-s-t. It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds—they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they can understand —like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables."**_

"That could be good and it could be bad." said Emily.

"Most of the time it's good. But that one time where," Apollo started.

Hermes interrupted. "Most of the time it's me who adjusts things out there in your world so the demigods and us don't get found out."

"Apollo." Athena reminded.

_**Piper swallowed. "No. You said yourself I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."**_

"_**Even demigods can be affected. I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—"**_

"_**But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're so real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me..."**_

_**She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She'd liked Jason from the first week they'd met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He'd accepted her for herself and didn't judge her because of the stupid things she'd done. They'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually—finally—holding hands. All that couldn't be fake.**_

_**Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well—"**_

"_**I do!"**_

"_**Then where is he from?"**_

"California." Hermes said.

_**Piper felt like she'd been hit between the eyes. "He must have told me, but—"**_

"_**Did you ever notice his tattoo before today?**_

"No."

_**Did he ever tell you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school?"**_

"No, no. and no."

"HERMES!" Yelled the gods.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"_**I—I don't know, but—"**_

"_**Piper, what's his last name?"**_

Hermes opened his mouth but was steamrolled over by Apollo reading.

_**Her mind went blank. She didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be?**_

_**She started to cry. She felt like a total fool, but she sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. Did everything that was good in her stupid, miserable life have to be taken away?**_

_**Yes, the dream had told her. Yes, unless you do exactly what we say.**_

"_**Hey," Annabeth said. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."**_

_**Not likely, Piper thought. Not if the dream had told her the truth. But she couldn't say that.**_

_**She brushed a tear from her cheek. "You brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?"**_

_**Annabeth shrugged. "I figured it would be hard for you. I know what it's like to lose your boyfriend."**_

"_**But I still can't believe … I know we had something. And now it's just gone, like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"**_

"_**Good questions," Annabeth said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?"**_

_**Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her—but soon they'd be just another bunch of people she'd disappointed, just another place she'd been kicked out of. You'll betray them for us, the voice had warned. Or you'll lose everything.**_

_**She didn't have a choice.**_

"_**Yeah," she lied. "I'm ready."**_

"Poor Piper." Aphrodite mumbled.

_**On the central green, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. Three-pointers went in automatically.**_

"_**Apollo's cabin," **_

Apollo girnned. But his smile faded as he read what was next.

_**Annabeth explained. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons—arrows, basketballs."**_

"I'm not a show off." Apollo pouted.

"Yes. You are." was the collective response.

_**They walked past a central fire pit, where two guys were hacking at each other with swords.**_

"_**Real blades?" Piper noted. "Isn't that dangerous?"**_

"_**That's sort of the point," Annabeth said. "Uh, sorry. Bad pun. That's my cabin over there. Number Six." She nodded to a gray building with a carved owl over the door. Through the open doorway, Piper could see bookshelves, weapon displays, and one of those computerized SMART Boards they have in classrooms. Two girls were drawing a map that looked like a battle diagram.**_

Athena smiled at the mention of her kids.

"_**Speaking of blades," Annabeth said, "come here."**_

_**She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools. Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were not gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants.**_

Demeter gasped. "Who would want to make war on poor innocent tomato plants?"

No one answered her.

_**The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons—from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge's.**_

"_**Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena's all about strategy—matching the right weapon to the right person. Let's see …"**_

_**Piper didn't feel much like shopping for deadly objects, but she knew Annabeth was trying to do something nice for her.**_

_**Annabeth handed her a massive sword, which Piper could hardly lift.**_

"_**No," they both said at once.**_

_**Annabeth rummaged a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.**_

"_**A shotgun?" Piper asked.**_

"_**Mossberg 500." Annabeth checked the pump action like it was no big deal. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters."**_

"_**Um, I don't think that's my style," Piper said.**_

"_**Mmm, yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Too flashy."**_

_**She put the shotgun back and started poking through a rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught Piper's eye.**_

"_**What is that?" she said. "A knife?"**_

_**Annabeth dug it out and blew the dust off the scabbard. It looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in centuries.**_

"_**I don't know, Piper." Annabeth sounded uneasy. "I don't think you want this one. Swords are usually better."**_

"_**You use a knife." Piper pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth's belt.**_

"_**Yeah, but …" Annabeth shrugged. "Well, take a look if you want."**_

_**The sheath was worn black leather, bound in bronze. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. The polished wood handle fit beautifully in Piper's hand. When she unsheathed it, she found a triangular blade eighteen inches long—bronze gleaming like it had been polished yesterday. The edges were deadly sharp. Her reflection in the blade caught her by surprise. She looked older, more serious, not as scared as she felt.**_

"What knife is that?" asked Tristan.

"It says here, hold on." Apollo said.

"_**It suits you," Annabeth admitted. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in the Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."**_

"_**I like it," Piper said. "Why didn't you think it was right?"**_

_**Annabeth exhaled. "That blade has a long story. Most people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner … well, things didn't turn out too well for her. Her name was Helen."**_

_**Piper let that sink in. "Wait, you mean the Helen? Helen of Troy?"**_

The mortals gasped.

"You have stuff like that, just laying around in a tool shed?" asked Tristan shocked. "Shouldn't it be in a museum or something?"

Apollo snorted.

He waved away the looks and continued reading.

_**Annabeth nodded.**_

_**Suddenly Piper felt like she should be handling the dagger with surgical gloves. "And it's just sitting in your toolshed?"**_

Now everyone snorted.

"_**We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth said. "This isn't a museum. Weapons like that—they're meant to be used. They're our heritage as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris."**_

"_**Meaning?"**_

"_**Mirror," Annabeth said. "Looking glass. Probably because that's the only thing Helen used it for. I don't think it's ever seen battle."**_

_**Piper looked at the blade again. For a moment, her own image stared up at her, but then the reflection changed. She saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved from bedrock. She heard the same laughter as in her dream. She saw her dad in chains, tied to a post in front of a roaring bonfire.**_

Everyone flinched.

Tristan looked pale.

Aphrodite looked a cross between angry and worried.

_**She dropped the blade.**_

"_**Piper?" Annabeth shouted to the Apollo kids on the court, "Medic! I need some help over here!"**_

"_**No, it's—it's okay," Piper managed.**_

"_**You sure?"**_

"_**Yeah. I just …" She had to control herself. With trembling fingers, she picked up the dagger. "I just got overwhelmed. So much happening today. But … I want to keep the dagger, if that's okay."**_

"Liar." Apollo muttered before quickly continuing.

_**Annabeth hesitated. Then she waved off the Apollo kids. "Okay, if you're sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or something."**_

"_**I'm fine," Piper promised, though her heart was still racing. "Is there … um, a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?"**_

_**Annabeth's gray eyes were almost as unnerving as the dagger blade. She seemed to be calculating a million possibilities, trying to read Piper's thoughts.**_

"_**We aren't allowed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are. But … I've got one." She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret …"**_

"Not your secret any longer." Hermes sang.

_**Piper took it gratefully, trying not to let her hands shake. She stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the commons area.**_

_**She called her dad's private line, even though she knew what would happen. Voice mail. She'd been trying for three days, ever since the dream. Wilderness School only allowed phone privileges once a day, but she'd called every evening, and gotten nowhere.**_

_**Reluctantly she dialed the other number. Her dad's personal assistant answered immediately. "Mr. McLean's office."**_

"_**Jane," Piper said, gritting her teeth.**_

Tristan looked concerned. "Why is she acting like this? Jane's a great assistant."

"Not really." Aphrodite said under her breath.

"_**Where's my dad?"**_

_**Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up. "Piper, I thought you weren't supposed to call from school."**_

"_**Maybe I'm not at school," Piper said. "Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures."**_

"_**Mmm." Jane didn't sound concerned. "Well, I'll tell him you called."**_

"_**Where is he?"**_

"_**Out."**_

"_**You don't know, do you?" Piper lowered her voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice to eavesdrop. "When are you going to call the police, Jane? He could be in trouble."**_

"_**Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I'm sure he's fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back."**_

"_**So it's true. You don't know—"**_

"_**I have to go, Piper," Jane snapped. "Enjoy school."**_

"On second thought, maybe she isn't so great after all." Tristan said shocked.

_**The line went dead. Piper cursed. She walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone.**_

"_**No luck?" Annabeth asked.**_

_**Piper didn't answer. She didn't trust herself not to start crying again.**_

_**Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."**_

"_**Common name."**_

"_**Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"**_

"_**He's got a degree in the arts," Piper said automatically. "He's a Cherokee artist."**_

Tristan snorted. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Excuse me, but who are you exactly?" asked Queen Marie. She was curious about him he was mentioned twice now as someone everyone should know.

"You'll see. I'm sure she'll tell someone." Tristan said.

_**Her standard response. Not a lie, just not the whole truth. Most people, when they heard that, figured her dad sold Indian souvenirs at a roadside stand on a reservation. Sitting Bull bobble-heads, wampum necklaces, Big Chief tablets—that kind of thing.**_

"_**Oh." Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she put the phone away. "You feeling okay? Want to keep going?"**_

_**Piper fastened her new dagger to her belt and promised herself that later, when she was alone, she'd figure out how it worked. "Sure," she said. "I want to see everything."**_

_**All the cabins were cool, but none of them struck Piper as hers. No burning signs—wombats or otherwise—appeared over her head.**_

_**Cabin Eight was entirely silver and glowed like moonlight.**_

"_**Artemis?" Piper guessed.**_

"_**You know Greek mythology," Annabeth said.**_

"_**I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year."**_

"_**I thought he did Cherokee art."**_

_**Piper bit back a curse. "Oh, right. But—you know, he does other stuff too."**_

_**Piper thought she'd blown it: McLean, Greek mythology.**_

"Oh, you're that Tristan." Sally said.

Tristan waited for something that wasn't going to come. He looked confused over at Sally.

"What?" she said noticing his look.

"Aren't you going to freak out?" Tristan asked.

"Not really. Like a saying I heard once. 'You put your pants on the same as us right'?" Sally said.

Tristan nodded, thankful that she wasn't freaking out. He wasn't sure about the others, though.

_**Thankfully, Annabeth didn't seem to make the connection.**_

"_**Anyway," Annabeth continued, "Artemis is goddess of the moon, goddess of hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."**_

Apollo blinked at what was next. "I can see why you like this girl, sis."

He read:

"_**Oh." That kind of bummed Piper out. She'd always liked the stories of Artemis, and figured she would make a cool mom.**_

Artemis smiled. "I do like this girl. If only she wasn't Aphrodite's daughter."

"_**Well, there are the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth amended. "They visit sometimes. They're not the children of Artemis, but they're her handmaidens—this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff."**_

_**Piper perked up. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"**_

"_**Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they have to swear off boys? No dating—ever. For eternity."**_

"_**Oh," Piper said. "Never mind."**_

"See. She wouldn't want to be one. It is in her DNA to want love, no matter how much she likes to be like my hunters." Artemis said.

_**Annabeth laughed. For a moment she looked almost happy, and Piper thought she'd be a cool friend to hang out with in better times.**_

_**Forget it, Piper reminded herself. You're not going to make any friends here. Not once they find out.**_

_**They passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the windows. They walked by the doorway, and the smell of perfume almost made Piper gag.**_

"_**Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?"**_

Everyone laughed.

Aphrodite looked offended. But then shrugged Piper was different than her other daughters. She wouldn't like it.

_**Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's cabin. Goddess of love. Drew is the head counselor."**_

"_**Figures," Piper grumbled.**_

"_**They're not all bad," Annabeth said. "The last head counselor we had was great."**_

"_**What happened to her?"**_

_**Annabeth's expression darkened. "We should keep moving."**_

The gods' expressions darkened as well.

_**They looked at the other cabins, but Piper just got more depressed. She wondered if she could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess.**_

Demeter smiled.

_**Then again, Piper killed every plant she ever touched.**_

The smile slipped off her face.

Hades snickered.

_**Athena was cool.**_

Athena smirked.

_**Or maybe Hecate, the magic goddess.**_

Here, Aphrodite frowned. Did Piper really hate being her daughter that much.

_**But it didn't really matter. Even here, where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, she knew she would still end up the unwanted kid. She was not looking forward to the campfire tonight.**_

"_**We started with the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus—Hecate, Hades, Iris—"**_

"_**What are the two big ones on the end?" Piper asked.**_

_**Annabeth frowned. "Zeus and Hera. King and queen of the gods."**_

_**Piper headed that way, and Annabeth followed, though she didn't act very excited. The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank. It was white marble with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts.**_

The gods all snickered while Zeus looked offended.

_**Hera's cabin was smaller but done in the same style, except the doors were carved with peacock feather designs, shimmering in different colors.**_

_**Unlike the other cabins, which were all noisy and open and full of activity, the Zeus and Hera cabins looked closed and silent.**_

"_**Are they empty?" Piper asked.**_

_**Annabeth nodded. "Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods—they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children."**_

"_**Tried to avoid it?"**_

"_**Sometimes they … um, cheated. I've got a friend, Thalia Grace,**_

Beryl looked up at this, maybe she will hear of her daughter's fate.

_**who's the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis.**_

Beryl smiled, satisfied. "Thank you, Lady Artemis for taking her into the Hunt."

_**My boyfriend, Percy, he's a son of Poseidon. And there's a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico—son of Hades. **_

Maria frowned. "Why isn't he at camp and what happened to Bianca? Shouldn't she be with him?"

"Maria, Bianca is with me and Nico thinks he isn't welcome at camp because of me." Hades said.

Maria choked out a sob. "Bianca, dead?"

"If we have time we can read about when Bianca and Nico came in. The meet Percy before this happens." Zeus offered.

_**Except for them, there are no demigod children of the Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of."**_

"_**And Hera?" Piper looked at the peacock-decorated doors. The cabin bothered her, though she wasn't sure why.**_

"_**Goddess of marriage." Annabeth's tone was carefully controlled, like she was trying to avoid cursing. **_

Hera huffed. "I want to curse you as well." she muttered.

"_**She doesn't have kids with anyone but Zeus. So, yeah, no demigods. The cabin's just honorary."**_

"_**You don't like her," Piper noticed.**_

"_**We have a long history," Annabeth admitted. "I thought we'd made peace, but when Percy disappeared … I got this weird dream vision from her."**_

"_**Telling you to come get us," Piper said. "But you thought Percy would be there."**_

"_**It's probably better I don't talk about it," Annabeth said. "I've got nothing good to say about Hera right now."**_

"I got nothing good to say about you as well." Hera said sweetly.

Frederick gulped. "What exactly did she do to make the Queen of the Gods angry?" he asked Sally.

"I don't know. Percy told me bits and pieces but I don't have the full story." She whispered back.

_**Piper looked down the base of the doors. "So who goes in here?"**_

"_**No one. The cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in."**_

"_**Someone does." Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold. On instinct, she pushed the doors and they swung open easily.**_

Jaws dropped.

_**Annabeth stepped back. "Um, Piper, I don't think we should—"**_

"_**We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?" And Piper walked inside. **_

"Yeah, but not that dangerous." Hermes said.

_**Hera's cabin was not someplace Piper would want to live. It was as cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on a throne in flowing golden robes. Piper had always thought of Greek statues as white with blank eyes, but this one was brightly painted so it looked almost human—except huge. Hera's piercing eyes seemed to follow Piper.**_

_**At the goddess's feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier. Piper wondered who tended it if the cabin was always empty. A stone hawk sat on Hera's shoulder, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. The goddess's hair was done in black plaits. Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating, as if she were saying: Mother knows best. Now don't cross me or I will have to step on you.**_

Apollo, Hermes, and Ares snickered. "She has you pegged."

Hera huffed again.

_**There was nothing else in the cabin—no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actually use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera's place reminded Piper of a tomb.**_

_**No, this wasn't her mom. At least Piper was sure of that. She hadn't come in here because she felt a good connection, but because her sense of dread was stronger here. Her dream—that horrible ultimatum she'd been handed—had something to do with this cabin.**_

_**She froze. They weren't alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or a prayer.**_

_**Annabeth gasped. "Rachel?"**_

Apollo cheered. "Yes. My Oracle."

"Apollo." Zeus said.

_**The other girl turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face that didn't go with the seriousness of the cabin or the black shawl at all. She looked about seventeen, a totally normal teen in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles. Despite the cold floor, she was barefoot.**_

"_**Hey!" She ran to give Annabeth a hug. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could."**_

_**They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth's boyfriend and how there was no news, et cetera, until finally Annabeth remembered Piper, who was standing there feeling uncomfortable.**_

"_**I'm being rude," Annabeth apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."**_

"_**The friend who lives in the cave," Piper guessed.**_

_**Rachel grinned. "That's me."**_

"_**So you're an oracle?" Piper asked. "You can tell the future?"**_

"_**More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said.**_

Apollo choked out the last sentence between laughter.

Hermes laughed as well. "Oh, I love your new oracle."

After they calmed down Apollo kept reading.

"_**I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future."**_

"_**Oh." Piper shifted from foot to foot. "That's cool."**_

_**Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless."**_

"_**You're a demigod?"**_

"_**Nope," Rachel said. "Just mortal."**_

"_**Then what are you …" Piper waved her hand around the room.**_

_**Rachel's smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper. "Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow. I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent."**_

"_**Went silent?" Piper asked.**_

_**Rachel frowned at Annabeth. "You haven't told her yet?"**_

"_**I was getting to that," Annabeth said. "Piper, for the last month … well, it's normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."**_

"_**Excuse me?"**_

"_**The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."**_

"_**Oh," Piper said. "Sure, why not?"**_

"_**Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar—"**_

"_**Anyway," Annabeth said, "starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It's like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."**_

"Best part of the last hundred years." Dionysus commented.

"_**Your camp director was the god of … wine?"**_

"_**Yeah, it's a—"**_

"_**Long story," Piper guessed. "Right. Go on."**_

"_**That's it, really," Annabeth said. "Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It's like something has happened —something really bad. Then Percy disappeared."**_

"_**And Jason showed up on our field trip," Piper supplied. "With no memory."**_

"_**Who's Jason?" Rachel asked.**_

"_**My—" Piper stopped herself before she could say "boyfriend," but the effort made her chest hurt. "My friend. But Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a dream vision."**_

"_**Right," Annabeth said. "The first communication from a god in a month, and it's Hera, the least helpful goddess, and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I'll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn't make sense."**_

"_**Something bad is happening," Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and Piper felt an overwhelming desire to tell them about her dream, to confess that she knew what was happening—at least part of the story. And the bad stuff was only beginning.**_

"_**Guys," she said. "I—I need to—"**_

_**Before she could continue, Rachel's body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed Piper by the shoulders.**_

"Is that supposed to happen?" asked Tristan.

Apollo frowned. "No." He said, shooting a glare at Hera, before continuing.

_**Piper tried to back away, but Rachel's hands were like steel clamps.**_

_**Free me, she said. But it wasn't Rachel's voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe. Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice.**_

_**The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate Piper from Rachel, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped them, and Piper was no longer sure if she was awake or dreaming. The giant statue of the goddess seemed to rise from its throne. It leaned over Piper, its eyes boring into her. The statue's mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume. It spoke in the same echoing voice: Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!**_

_**Piper's knees buckled, and everything went black.**_

"Done." Apollo said shortly, still glaring at Hera.

"If I may, can I read?" Asked Esperanza.

"Why?" asked Emily.

"Well, going by what we've read so far, Jason had two chapters, then Piper had two chapters, now it's Leo's turn, I think. I really want to find out about my _mijo_, the only reason he would run away is if I were dead, so please?" Esperanza said.

"Sure." Apollo got up and gave the book to her.

* * *

**_Addy_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

"_**Chapter 6 Leo" **_

_**LEO'S TOUR WAS GOING GREAT UNTIL he learned about the dragon.**_

"Dragon?" The mortal parents asked shocked.

"That's what it says." Esperanza said.

_**The archer dude, Will Solace, **_

Apollo huffed.

_**seemed pretty cool. Everything he showed Leo was so amazing, it should've been illegal. Real Greek warships moored at the beach that sometimes had practice fights with flaming arrows and explosives? Sweet! Arts &amp; crafts sessions where you could make sculptures with chain saws and blowtorches? Leo was like, Sign me up! The woods were stocked with dangerous monsters, and no one should ever go in there alone? Nice! And the camp was overflowing with fine-looking girls. Leo didn't quite understand the whole related-to-the-gods business, but he hoped that didn't mean he was cousins with all these ladies. That would suck. At the very least, he wanted to check out those underwater girls in the lake again. They were definitely worth drowning for.**_

"Leo." Esperanza said exasperated.

_**Will showed him the cabins, the dining pavilion, and the sword arena.**_

"_**Do I get a sword?" Leo asked.**_

_**Will glanced at him like he found the idea disturbing.**_

As did everyone else.

"_**You'll probably make your own, seeing as how you're in Cabin Nine."**_

"_**Yeah, what's up with that? Vulcan?"**_

"_**Usually we don't call the gods by their Roman names," Will said. "The original names are Greek. Your dad is Hephaestus."**_

"_**Festus?" Leo had heard somebody say that before, but he was still dismayed.**_

"Leo Valdez." Esperanza scolded.

"What?" Everyone asked.

Esperanza sighed.

"_**Sounds like the god of cowboys."**_

The gods laughed.

After everyone calmed down Esperanza continued in a somber voice. She had read what was further written.

"_**He-phaestus," Will corrected. "God of blacksmiths and fire."**_

_**Leo had heard that too, but he was trying not to think about it. The god of fire … seriously? Considering what had happened**_

Esperanza choked back a sob. "I'm sorry. I can't." She shoved the book into Sally's hands.

Sally looked down and frowned.

_**Considering what had happened to his mom, that seemed like a sick joke.**_

The mortal parents looked down.

"_**So the flaming hammer over my head," Leo said. "Good thing, or bad thing?"**_

_**Will took a while to answer. "You were claimed almost immediately. That's usually good."**_

"_**But that Rainbow Pony dude,**_

There were a few weak chuckles.

_**Butch—he mentioned a curse."**_

"_**Ah … look, it's nothing. Since Cabin Nine's last head counselor died—"**_

"_**Died? Like, painfully?"**_

"_**I ought to let your bunkmates tell you about it."**_

"_**Yeah, where are my home dawgs? Shouldn't their counselor be giving me the VIP tour?"**_

"_**He, um, can't. You'll see why." Will forged ahead before Leo could ask anything else.**_

"_**Curses and death," Leo said to himself. "This just gets better and better."**_

Esperanza sobbed.

_**He was halfway across the green when he spotted his old babysitter. And she was not the kind of person he expected to see at a demigod camp.**_

_**Leo froze in his tracks.**_

"_**What's wrong?" Will asked.**_

_**Tía Callida—Auntie Callida.**_

There were suspicious looks at Hera by the gods.

_**That's what she'd called herself, but Leo hadn't seen her since he was five years old. She was just standing there, in the shadow of a big white cabin at the end of the green, watching him. She wore her black linen widow's dress, with a black shawl pulled over her hair. Her face hadn't changed—leathery skin, piercing dark eyes. Her withered hands were like claws. She looked ancient, but no different than Leo remembered.**_

"_**That old lady …" Leo said. "What's she doing here?"**_

_**Will tried to follow his gaze. "What old lady?"**_

"_**Dude, the old lady. The one in black. How many old ladies do you see over there?"**_

_**Will frowned.**_

"He probably thinks he's crazy." Apollo said.

"_**I think you've had a long day, Leo. The Mist could still be playing tricks on your mind. How about we head straight to your cabin now?"**_

"Or that." Apollo conceded.

_**Leo wanted to protest, but when he looked back toward the big white cabin, Tía Callida was gone. He was sure she'd been there, almost as if thinking about his mom had summoned Callida back from the past.**_

_**And that wasn't good, because Tía Callida had tried to kill him.**_

"What?!" The mortal parents yelled.

"_**Just messing with you, man." Leo pulled some gears and levers from his pockets and started fiddling with them to calm his nerves. He couldn't have everybody at camp thinking he was crazy. At least, not crazier than he really was.**_

"_**Let's go see Cabin Nine," he said. "I'm in the mood for a good curse."**_

_**From the outside, the Hephaestus cabin looked like an oversize RV with shiny metal walls and metal-slatted windows. The entrance was like a bank vault door, circular and several feet thick. It opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulic pistons blowing smoke.**_

_**Leo whistled. "They got a steampunk theme going on, huh?"**_

_**Inside, the cabin seemed deserted. Steel bunks were folded against the walls like high-tech Murphy beds. Each had a digital control panel, blinking LED lights, glowing gems, and interlocking gears. Leo figured each camper had his own combination lock to release his bed, and there was probably an alcove behind it with storage, maybe some traps to keep out unwanted visitors. At least, that's the way Leo would've designed it. A fire pole came down from the second floor, even though the cabin didn't appear to have a second floor from the outside. A circular staircase led down into some kind of basement. The walls were lined with every kind of power tool Leo could imagine, plus a huge assortment of knives, swords, and other implements of destruction. A large workbench overflowed with scrap metal—screws, bolts, washers, nails, rivets, and a million other machine parts. Leo had a strong urge to shovel them all into his coat pockets. He loved that kind of stuff. But he'd need a hundred more coats to fit it all.**_

_**Looking around, he could almost imagine he was back in his mom's machine shop. Not the weapons, maybe—but the tools, the piles of scrap, the smell of grease and metal and hot engines. She would've loved this place.**_

Esperanza sniffled.

_**He pushed that thought away. He didn't like painful memories. Keep moving—that was his motto. Don't dwell on things. Don't stay in one place too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.**_

"Oh, _Mijo._" Leo's mom whispered sadly.

_**He picked a long implement from the wall. "A weed whacker? What's the god of fire want with a weed whacker?"**_

_**A voice in the shadows said, "You'd be surprised."**_

_**At the back of the room, one of the bunk beds was occupied. A curtain of dark camouflage material retracted, and Leo could see the guy who'd been invisible a second before. It was hard to tell much about him because he was covered in a body cast. His head was wrapped in gauze except for his face, which was puffy and bruised. He looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy after a beat-down.**_

"_**I'm Jake Mason," the guy said. "I'd shake your hand, but …"**_

"_**Yeah," Leo said. "Don't get up."**_

_**The guy cracked a smile, then winced like it hurt to move his face. Leo wondered what had happened to him, but he was afraid to ask.**_

"_**Welcome to Cabin Nine," Jake said. "Been almost a year since we had any new kids. I'm head counselor for now."**_

"_**For now?" Leo asked.**_

_**Will Solace cleared his throat. "So where is everybody, Jake?"**_

"_**Down at the forges," Jake said wistfully. "They're working on … you know, that problem."**_

"_**Oh." Will changed the subject. "So, you got a spare bed for Leo?"**_

_**Jake studied Leo, sizing him up. "You believe in curses, Leo? Or ghosts?"**_

_**I just saw my evil babysitter Tía Callida, Leo thought. She's got to be dead after all these years. And I can't go a day without remembering my mom in that machine shop fire. Don't talk to me about ghosts, doughboy.**_

Hera huffed offended.

Esperanza sighed.

_**But aloud, he said, "Ghosts? Pfft. Nah. I'm cool. A storm spirit chucked me down the Grand Canyon this morning, but you know, all in a day's work, right?"**_

_**Jake nodded. "That's good. Because I'll give you the best bed in the cabin—Beckendorf's."**_

"_**Whoa, Jake," Will said. "You sure?"**_

_**Jake called out: "Bunk 1-A, please."**_

_**The whole cabin rumbled. A circular section of the floor spiraled open like a camera lens, and a full-size bed popped up. The bronze frame had a built-in game station at the footboard, a stereo system in the headboard, a glass-door refrigerator mounted into the base, and a whole bunch of control panels running down the side.**_

_**Leo jumped right in and lay back with arms behind his head. "I can handle this."**_

"_**It retracts into a private room below," Jake said.**_

"No fair!" The other gods yelled.

Hephaestus smirked.

"_**Oh, heck, yes," Leo said. "See y'all. I'll be down in the Leo Cave. Which button do I press?"**_

"_**Hold on," Will Solace protested. "You guys have private underground rooms?"**_

"That's what we want to know!?" Apollo and Hermes continued yelling.

_**Jake probably would've smiled if it didn't hurt so much. "We got lots of secrets, Will. You Apollo guys can't have all the fun. Our campers have been excavating the tunnel system under Cabin Nine for almost a century. We still haven't found the end. Anyway, Leo, if you don't mind sleeping in a dead man's bed, it's yours."**_

Everyone sobered at that.

_**Suddenly Leo didn't feel like kicking back. He sat up, careful not to touch any of the buttons. "The counselor who died—this was his bed?"**_

"_**Yeah," Jake said. "Charles Beckendorf."**_

_**Leo imagined saw blades coming through the mattress, or maybe a grenade sewn inside the pillows. "He didn't, like, die in this bed, did he?"**_

"_**No," Jake said. "In the Titan War, last summer."**_

"_**The Titan War," Leo repeated, "which has nothing to do with this very fine bed?"**_

"_**The Titans," Will said, like Leo was an idiot. "The big powerful guys that ruled the world before the gods. They tried to make a comeback last summer. Their leader, Kronos, built a new palace on top of Mount Tam in California. Their armies came to New York and almost destroyed Mount Olympus. A lot of demigods died trying to stop them."**_

"_**I'm guessing this wasn't on the news?" Leo said.**_

_**It seemed like a fair question, but Will shook his head in disbelief. "You didn't hear about Mount St. Helens erupting, or the freak storms across the country, or that building collapsing in St. Louis?"**_

_**Leo shrugged. Last summer, he'd been on the run from another foster home. Then a truancy officer caught him in New Mexico, and the court sentenced him to the nearest correctional facility—the Wilderness School. "Guess I was busy."**_

Esperanza gave one last sniffle then steeled herself. I can change this. I won't die this time.

"_**Doesn't matter," Jake said. "You were lucky to miss it. The thing is, Beckendorf was one of the first casualties, and ever since then—"**_

"_**Your cabin's been cursed," Leo guessed.**_

_**Jake didn't answer. Then again, the dude was in a body cast. That was an answer. Leo started noticing little things that he hadn't seen before—an explosion mark on the wall, a stain on the floor that might've been oil … or blood. Broken swords and smashed machines kicked into the corners of the room, maybe out of frustration. The place did feel unlucky.**_

_**Jake sighed halfheartedly. "Well, I should get some sleep. I hope you like it here, Leo. It used to be … really nice."**_

_**He closed his eyes, and the camouflage curtain drew itself across the bed.**_

"_**Come on, Leo," Will said. "I'll take you to the forges."**_

_**As they were leaving, Leo looked back at his new bed, and he could almost imagine a dead counselor sitting there—another ghost who wasn't going to leave Leo alone.**_

"Done." Sally put the book down.

"Two more chapters, then we'll stop for lunch." Athena said.

"I'll read." Hermes said. "_**Chapter 7 Leo."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_I don't own this. Enjoy_**

* * *

"_**HOW DID HE DIE?" LEO ASKED. "I mean Beckendorf."**_

_**Will Solace trudged ahead. "Explosion. Beckendorf and Percy Jackson blew up a cruise ship full of monsters. Beckendorf didn't make it out."**_

_**There was that name again—Percy Jackson, Annabeth's missing boyfriend. That guy must've been into everything around here, Leo thought.**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

"_**So Beckendorf was pretty popular?" Leo asked. "I mean —before he blew up?"**_

"_**He was awesome," Will agreed. "It was hard on the whole camp when he died. Jake—he became head counselor in the middle of the war. Same as I did, actually. Jake did his best, but he never wanted to be leader. He just likes building stuff. Then after the war, things started to go wrong. Cabin Nine's chariots blew up. Their automatons went haywire. Their inventions started to malfunction. It was like a curse, and eventually people started calling it that—the Curse of Cabin Nine. Then Jake had his accident—"**_

Everyone shivered.

"_**Which had something to do with the problem he mentioned," Leo guessed.**_

"_**They're working on it," Will said without enthusiasm. "And here we are."**_

_**The forge looked like a steam-powered locomotive had smashed into the Greek Parthenon and they had fused together.**_

The gods snickered while Athena yelled, "What?!"

Hermes read over her mutterings.

_**White marble columns lined the soot-stained walls. Chimneys pumped smoke over an elaborate gable carved with a bunch of gods and monsters. The building sat at the edge of a stream, with several waterwheels turning a series of bronze gears. Leo heard machinery grinding inside, fires roaring, and hammers ringing on anvils.**_

_**They stepped through the doorway, and a dozen guys and girls who'd been working on various projects all froze. The noise died down to the roar of the forge and the click-click-click of gears and levers.**_

"'_**Sup, guys," Will said. "This is your new brother, Leo—um, what's your last name?"**_

"_**Valdez." Leo looked around at the other campers. Was he really related to all of them? His cousins came from some big families, but he'd always just had his mom—until she died.**_

_**Kids came up and started shaking hands and introducing themselves. Their names blurred together: Shane, Christopher, Nyssa, Harley (yeah, like the motorcycle). Leo knew he'd never keep everybody straight. Too many of them. Too overwhelming.**_

Hephaestus blushed.

_**None of them looked like the others—all different face types, skin tone, hair color, height. You'd never think, Hey, look, it's the Hephaestus Bunch! But they all had powerful hands, rough with calluses and stained with engine grease. Even little Harley, who couldn't have been more than eight, looked like he could go six rounds with Chuck Norris without breaking a sweat.**_

_**And all the kids shared a sad kind of seriousness. Their shoulders slumped like life had beaten them down pretty hard. Several looked like they'd been physically beaten up, too. Leo counted two arm slings, one pair of crutches, an eye patch, six Ace bandages, and about seven thousand Band-Aids.**_

"_**Well, all right!" Leo said. "I hear this is the party cabin!"**_

_**Nobody laughed. They all just stared at him.**_

_**Will Solace patted Leo's shoulder. "I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. Somebody show Leo to dinner when it's time?"**_

"_**I got it," one of the girls said. Nyssa, Leo remembered. She wore camo pants, a tank top that showed off her buffarms, and a red bandanna over a mop of dark hair. Except for the smiley-face Band-Aid on her chin, she looked like one of those female action heroes, like any second she was going to grab a machine gun and start mowing down evil aliens.**_

Everyone snorted.

"_**Cool," Leo said. "I always wanted a sister who could beat me up."**_

_**Nyssa didn't smile. "Come on, joker boy. I'll show you around."**_

"I wonder what's wrong?" asked Emily.

Sall thought for a moment. "I think it's the dragon problem. Remember in the last chapter Leo said his tour was going great until he heard about the dragon problem."

"Correct." Athena said. "There was a dragon problem at camp last year ago."

"Was?" asked Esperanza.

"You'll see." Athena said. "Hermes?"

"Yeah?" Hermes asked.

"Read please." Athena said back.

_**Leo was no stranger to workshops. He'd grown up around grease monkeys and power tools. His mom used to joke that his first pacifier was a lug wrench.**_

There were some snickers.

_**But he'd never seen any place like the camp forge.**_

_**One guy was working on a battle-ax. He kept testing the blade on a slab of concrete. Each time he swung, the ax cut into the slab like it was warm cheese, but the guy looked unsatisfied and went back to honing the edge.**_

"_**What's he planning to kill with that thing?" Leo asked Nyssa. "A battleship?"**_

"_**You never know. Even with Celestial bronze—"**_

"_**That's the metal?"**_

_**She nodded. "Mined from Mount Olympus itself. Extremely rare. Anyway, it usually disintegrates monsters on contact, but big powerful ones have notoriously tough hides. Drakons, for instances—"**_

"Don't you mean dragons?" asked Esperanza.

"No. Drakons. They are a similar species to dragons but more dangerous." Athena said.

The gods looked down at the mention of Drakons. Especially Aphrodite.

"_**You mean dragons?"**_

"_**Similar species. You'll learn the difference in monster-fighting class."**_

"_**Monster-fighting class. Yeah, I already got my black belt in that."**_

_**She didn't crack a smile. Leo hoped she wasn't this serious all the time. His dad's side of the family had to have some sense of humor, right?**_

_**They passed a couple of guys making a bronze windup toy. At least that's what it looked like. It was a six-inch-tall centaur—half man, half horse—armed with a miniature bow. One of the campers cranked the centaur's tail, and it whirred to life. It galloped across the table, yelling, "Die, mosquito! Die, mosquito!" and shooting everything in sight.**_

"That's some curse." Tristan whistled.

_**Apparently this had happened before, because everybody knew to hit the floor except Leo. Six needle-sized arrows embedded themselves in his shirt before a camper grabbed a hammer and smashed the centaur to pieces.**_

"_**Stupid curse!" The camper waved his hammer at the sky. "I just want a magic bug killer! Is that too much to ask?"**_

"_**Ouch," Leo said.**_

_**Nyssa pulled the needles out of his shirt. "Ah, you're fine. Let's move on before they rebuild it."**_

_**Leo rubbed his chest as they walked. "That sort of thing happen a lot?"**_

"_**Lately," Nyssa said, "everything we build turns to junk."**_

"_**The curse?"**_

_**Nyssa frowned. "I don't believe in curses. But something's wrong. And if we don't figure out the dragon problem, it's gonna get even worse."**_

"_**The dragon problem?" Leo hoped she was talking about a miniature dragon, maybe one that killed cockroaches,**_

"No one's that lucky." Emily said.

_**but he got the feeling he wasn't going to be so lucky.**_

_**Nyssa took him over to a big wall map that a couple of girls were studying. The map showed the camp—a semicircle of land with Long Island Sound on the north shore, the woods to the west, the cabins to the east, and a ring of hills to the south.**_

"_**It's got to be in the hills," the first girl said.**_

"_**We looked in the hills," the second argued. "The woods are a better hiding place."**_

"_**But we already set traps—"**_

"_**Hold up," Leo said. "You guys lost a dragon? A real full-size dragon?"**_

"_**It's a bronze dragon," Nyssa said. "But yes, it's a life-size automaton. Hephaestus cabin built it years ago. Then it was lost in the woods until a few summers back, when Beckendorf found it in pieces and rebuilt it. It's been helping protect the camp, but, um, it's a little unpredictable."**_

"_**Unpredictable," Leo said.**_

"_**It goes haywire and smashes down cabins, sets people on fire, tries to eat the satyrs."**_

"Wow. That's really unpredictable. Do they save it, or do they destroy it?" asked a curious Frederick.

"No wait! I got this! Spoilers." Artemis said mysteriously.

Apollo and Hermes groaned.

"That's not funny." Apollo said to a snickering Artemis.

"Yes. It is." Artemis argued.

"No it's -" Apollo started. Then:

"_**That's pretty unpredictable."**_

_**Nyssa nodded. "Beckendorf was the only one who could control it. Then he died, and the dragon just got worse and worse. Finally it went berserk and ran off. Occasionally it shows up, demolishes something, and runs away again. Everyone expects us to find it and destroy it—"**_

"_**Destroy it?" Leo was appalled. "You've got a life-size bronze dragon, and you want to destroy it?"**_

"_**It breathes fire," Nyssa explained. "It's deadly and out of control."**_

"_**But it's a dragon! Dude, that's so awesome. Can't you try talking to it, controlling it?"**_

"_**We tried. Jake Mason tried. You saw how well that worked."**_

Apollo, Hephaestus, and Esperanza flinched.

_**Leo thought about Jake, wrapped in a body cast, lying alone on his bunk. "Still—"**_

"_**There's no other option." Nyssa turned to the other girls. "Let's try more traps in the woods—here, here, and here. Bait them with thirty-weight motor oil."**_

"_**The dragon drinks that?" Leo asked.**_

"_**Yeah." Nyssa sighed regretfully. "He used to like it with a little Tabasco sauce, right before bed. If he springs a trap, we can come in with acid sprayers—should melt through his hide. Then we get metal cutters and … and finish the job."**_

_**They all looked sad. Leo realized they didn't want to kill the dragon any more than he did.**_

"_**Guys," he said. "There has to be another way."**_

_**Nyssa looked doubtful, but a few other campers stopped what they were working on and drifted over to hear the conversation.**_

"_**Like what?" one asked. "The thing breathes fire. We can't even get close."**_

_**Fire, Leo thought. Oh, man, the things he could tell them about fire…**_

Esperanza looked suspicious. Fire. Does that mean . . . She remember what she was doing before she came here. She softly groaned.

_**But he had to be careful, even if these were his brothers and sisters. Especially if he had to live with them.**_

"_**Well …" He hesitated. "Hephaestus is the god of fire, right? So don't any of you have like fire resistance or something?"**_

_**Nobody acted as if it was a crazy question, which was a relief, but Nyssa shook her head gravely.**_

"_**That's a Cyclops ability, Leo. Demigod children of Hephaestus … we're just good with our hands. We're builders, craftsmen, weaponsmiths—stuff like that."**_

_**Leo's shoulders slumped. "Oh."**_

_**A guy in back said, "Well, a long time ago—"**_

"_**Yeah, okay," Nyssa conceded. "A long time ago some children of Hephaestus were born with power over fire. But that ability was very, very rare. And always dangerous. No demigod like that has been born in centuries. The last one …" She looked at one of the other kids for help.**_

"_**Sixteen sixty-six," the girl offered. "Guy named Thomas Faynor. He started the Great Fire of London, destroyed most of the city."**_

"Really?" Frederick asked. "How many of the historical figure of the past been demigods? How would that work . . ." He trailed of, mumbling to himself.

"Ignore him. He gets like this sometimes. He'll come around in a little bit and have remembered everything we have said." Athena said absently.

"_**Right," Nyssa said. "When a child of Hephaestus like that appears, it usually means something catastrophic is about to happen. And we don't need any more catastrophes."**_

_**Leo tried to keep his face clear of emotion, which wasn't his strong suit. "I guess I see your point. Too bad, though. If you could resist flames, you could get close to the dragon."**_

"_**Then it would kill you with its claws and fangs," Nyssa said. "Or simply step on you. No, we've got to destroy it. Trust me, if anyone could figure out another answer …"**_

_**She didn't finish, but Leo got the message. This was the cabin's big test. If they could do something only Beckendorf could do, if they could subdue the dragon without killing it, then maybe their curse would be lifted. But they were stumped for ideas. Any camper who figured out how would be a hero.**_

_**A conch horn blew in the distance. Campers started putting up their tools and projects. Leo hadn't realized it was getting so late, but he looked through the windows and saw the sun going down. His ADHD did that to him sometimes. If he was bored, a fifty-minute class seemed like six hours. If he was interested in something, like touring a demigod camp, hours slipped away and bam—the day was over.**_

"_**Dinner," Nyssa said. "Come on, Leo."**_

"_**Up at the pavilion, right?" he asked.**_

_**She nodded.**_

"_**You guys go ahead," Leo said. "Can you … give me a second?"**_

_**Nyssa hesitated. Then her expression softened. "Sure. It's a lot to process. I remember my first day. Come up when you're ready. Just don't touch anything. Almost every project in here can kill you if you're not careful."**_

"_**No touching," Leo promised.**_

_**His cabinmates filed out of the forge. Soon Leo was alone with the sounds of the bellows, the waterwheels, and small machines clicking and whirring.**_

_**He stared at the map of camp—the locations where his newfound siblings were going to put traps to catch a dragon. It was wrong. Plain wrong.**_

_**Very rare, he thought. And always dangerous.**_

_**He held out his hand and studied his fingers. They were long and thin, not callused like the other Hephaestus campers'. Leo had never been the biggest or the strongest kid. He'd survived in tough neighborhoods, tough schools, tough foster homes by using his wits. He was the class clown, the court jester, because he'd learned early that if you cracked jokes and pretended you weren't scared, you usually didn't get beat up.**_

Esperanza gave a strangled gasp. "Oh, _mijo._"

_**Even the baddest gangster kids would tolerate you, keep you around for laughs. Plus, humor was a good way to hide the pain. And if that didn't work, there was always Plan B. Run away. Over and over.**_

_**There was a Plan C, but he'd promised himself never to use it again.**_

_**He felt an urge to try it now—something he hadn't done since the accident, since his mom's death.**_

_**He extended his fingers and felt them tingle, like they were waking up—pins and needles. Then flames flickered to life, curls of red-hot fire dancing across his palm.**_

"Done." Hermes said to shocked silence.

The mortals were staring at Esperanza.

"So, Jason can fly and Leo can tolerate fire. Anything else would you guys like to share? Does Piper have powers as well?" Tristan asked.

"Well, now that you mention it . . ." Hermes started.

"I was joking." Tristan said nervously. "He's not being serious, right?"

No one answered.

"Right. I'll read next." Frederick said. He got up and took the book from Hermes. "_**Chapter 8 Jason."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**I don't own this . Enjoy**_

* * *

_**AS SOON AS JASON SAW THE HOUSE, he knew he was a dead man.**_

"What is wrong with the big house?" asked Sally. "Is it because . . . oh, I see. He's Roman so being in a Greek camp feels like he is in enemy territory. It's his instincts."

Beryl sighed, relieved. "Good. I would hate for him to be an actual dead man."

"_**Here we are!" Drew said cheerfully. "The Big House, camp headquarters."**_

_**It didn't look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. Jason could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down at him like angry eyes. The wide-open doorway looked ready to swallow him. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weathervane spun in the wind and pointed straight in his direction, as if telling him to turn around.**_

_**Every molecule in Jason's body told him he was on enemy ground.**_

"We've already established that he thinks he is." Sally said.

"_**I am not supposed to be here," he said.**_

_**Drew circled her arm through his. "Oh, please. You're perfect here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes."**_

_**Drew smelled like Christmas—a strange combination of pine and nutmeg. Jason wondered if she always smelled like that, or if it was some kind of special perfume for the holidays. Her pink eyeliner was really distracting. Every time she blinked, he felt compelled to look at her. Maybe that was the point, to show off her warm brown eyes. She was pretty. No doubt about that. But she made Jason feel uncomfortable.**_

_**He slipped his arm away as gently as he could. "Look, I appreciate—"**_

"_**Is it that girl?" Drew pouted. "Oh, please, tell me you are not dating the Dumpster Queen." **_

Tristan's eye twitched.

"_**You mean Piper? Um …"**_

_**Jason wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't think he'd ever seen Piper before today, but he felt strangely guilty about it. He knew he shouldn't be in this place. He shouldn't befriend these people, and certainly he shouldn't date one of them. Still … Piper had been holding his hand when he woke up on that bus. She believed she was his girlfriend. She'd been brave on the skywalk, fighting those venti, and when Jason had caught her in midair and they'd held each other face-to-face, he couldn't pretend he wasn't a little tempted to kiss her.**_

Tristan growled softly. He muttered things under his breath.

_**But that wasn't right. He didn't even know his own story. He couldn't play with her emotions like that.**_

"Good. Good Jason." Tristan said calmly.

"I think he's about to lose it." Apollo whispered to Hermes.

_**Drew rolled her eyes. "Let me help you decide, sweetie. You can do better. A guy with your looks and obvious talent?"**_

_**She wasn't looking at him, though. She was staring at a spot right above his head.**_

"_**You're waiting for a sign," he guessed. "Like what popped over Leo's head."**_

"_**What? No! Well … yes. I mean, from what I heard, you're pretty powerful, right? You're going to be important at camp, so I figure your parent will claim you right away. And I'd love to see that. I wanna be with you every step of the way! So is your dad or mom the god? Please tell me it's not your mom. I would hate it if you were an Aphrodite kid."**_

"_**Why?"**_

"Yeah? Why is that?" Queen Marie asked. "Aren't they all related?"

"It explains here." Dr. Chase said.

"_**Then you'd be my half brother, silly. You can't date somebody from your own cabin. Yuck!"**_

"_**But aren't all the gods related?" Jason asked. "So isn't everyone here your cousin or something?"**_

"_**Aren't you cute! Sweetie, the godly side of your family doesn't count except for your parent. So anybody from another cabin—they're fair game. So who's your godly parent—mom or dad?"**_

"Oh." Queen Marie said.

_**As usual, Jason didn't have an answer. He looked up, but no glowing sign popped above his head. At the top of the Big House, the weathervane was still pointing his direction, that bronze eagle glaring as if to say, Turn around, kid, while you still can.**_

_**Then he heard footsteps on the front porch. No—not footsteps—hooves.**_

"_**Chiron!" Drew called. "This is Jason. He's totally awesome!"**_

"That's the best she could come up with?" asked Beryl incredulously. "'He's totally awesome.'" She mimicked.

_**Jason backed up so fast he almost tripped. Rounding the corner of the porch was a man on horseback. Except he wasn't on horseback—he was part of the horse. From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a T-shirt that said World's Best Centaur, and had a quiver and bow strapped to his back. His head was so high up he had to duck to avoid the porch lights, because from the waist down, he was a white stallion.**_

_**Chiron started to smile at Jason. Then the color drained from his face.**_

"_**You …" The centaur's eyes flared like a cornered animal's. "You should be dead."**_

_**Chiron ordered Jason—well, invited, but it sounded like an order—to come inside the house. He told Drew to go back to her cabin, which Drew didn't look happy about.**_

_**The centaur trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch. He slipped off his quiver and bow and backed up to the chair, which opened like a magician's box. Chiron gingerly stepped into it with his back legs and began scrunching himself into a space that should've been much too small. Jason imagined a truck's reversing noises—beep, beep, beep—**_

The mortals raised an eyebrow while the gods snickered.

"Definitely hereditary." Hermes agreed. Then yelped as he also was hit and doused with lightning and water respectively.

_**as the centaur's lower half disappeared and the chair folded up, popping out a set of fake human legs covered in a blanket, so Chiron appeared to be a regular mortal guy in a wheelchair.**_

"_**Follow me," he ordered. "We have lemonade."**_

_**The living room looked like it had been swallowed by a rain forest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, which Jason found a little strange. He didn't think plants grew like that inside, especially in the winter, but these were leafy green and bursting with bunches of red grapes.**_

_**Leather couches faced a stone fireplace with a crackling fire. Wedged in one corner, an old-style Pac-Man arcade game beeped and blinked. Mounted on the walls was an assortment of masks—smiley/frowny Greek theater types, feathered Mardi Gras masks, Venetian Carnevale masks with big beaklike noses, carved wooden masks from Africa. Grapevines grew through their mouths so they seemed to have leafy tongues. Some had red grapes bulging through their eyeholes.**_

The mortals looked weirded out while the gods looked on calmly.

"Uh . . . is that normal?" asked Maria.

"Not at all. No." was her response from Ares.

"It was a parting gift from Dionysus." Athena explained.

"Oh. Okay." She said.

_**But the weirdest thing was the stuffed leopard's head above the fireplace. It looked so real, its eyes seemed to follow Jason. Then it snarled, and Jason nearly leaped out of his skin.**_

"_**Now, Seymour," Chiron chided. "Jason is a friend. Behave yourself."**_

"_**That thing is alive!" Jason said.**_

_**Chiron rummaged through the side pocket of his wheelchair and brought out a package of Snausages. He threw one to the leopard, who snapped it up and licked his lips.**_

"_**You must excuse the décor," Chiron said. "All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us to remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor."**_

"I do not." Dionysus said.

"Yeah, D, you kinda do." Apollo said.

Dionysus huffed.

"_**Mr. D," Jason said. "Dionysus?"**_

"_**Mmm hmm." Chiron poured lemonade, though his hands were trembling a little. "As for Seymour, well, Mr. D liberated him from a Long Island garage sale. The leopard is Mr. D's sacred animal, you see, and Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature. He decided to grant it life, on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it's a kinder fate than Seymour's previous owner got."**_

Dionysus smirked. "Much kinder."

_**Seymour bared his fangs and sniffed the air, as if hunting for more Snausages.**_

"_**If he's only a head," Jason said, "where does the food go when he eats?"**_

"_**Better not to ask,"**_

"Yeah, please don't ask." The gods shuddered.

_**Chiron said. "Please, sit."**_

_**Jason took some lemonade, though his stomach was fluttering. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and tried for a smile, but Jason could tell it was forced. The old man's eyes were as deep and dark as wells.**_

"_**So, Jason," he said, "would you mind telling me—ah—where you're from?"**_

"_**I wish I knew." Jason told him the whole story, from waking up on the bus to crash-landing at Camp Half-Blood. He didn't see any point in hiding the details, and Chiron was a good listener. He didn't react to the story, other than to nod encouragingly for more.**_

_**When Jason was done, the old man sipped his lemonade.**_

"_**I see," Chiron said. "And you must have questions for me."**_

"_**Only one," Jason admitted. "What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?"**_

"We also would like to know." Beryl muttered.

_**Chiron studied him with concern, as if he expected Jason to burst into flames. "My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?"**_

_**Jason looked at the tattoo on his forearm: SPQR, the eagle, twelve straight lines.**_

"_**No," he said. "Nothing."**_

"_**Do you know where you are?" Chiron asked. "Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"**_

"_**You're Chiron the centaur," Jason said. "I'm guessing you're the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."**_

"_**So you believe those gods still exist?"**_

"_**Yes," Jason said immediately. "I mean, I don't think we should worship them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they're still around because they're a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts—like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome."**_

"_**I couldn't have said it better." Something about Chiron's voice had changed.**_

"How could his voice change?" asked Beryl, worried.

"You'll see." Was her reply.

"I'm starting to hate those words." Beryl muttered.

"_**So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven't you?"**_

"_**Maybe," Jason answered. "I'm not really sure."**_

_**Seymour the leopard snarled.**_

_**Chiron waited, and Jason realized what had just happened. The centaur had switched to another language and Jason had understood, automatically answering in the same tongue.**_

"I can't read Latin." Frederick said. "I think that's Latin."

"Let me see." Hermes said.

Frederick gave him the book. "Oh, it's simple. It says:

"_**Quis erat—"**_

"Thank you." Frederick said taking back the book.

"No problem." Hermes said as he sat back in his throne.

_**Jason faltered, then made a conscious effort to speak English. "What was that?"**_

"_**You know Latin," Chiron observed. "Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice."**_

_**Jason tried to wrap his mind around what that meant, but too many pieces were missing from his memory. He still had the feeling that he shouldn't be here. It was wrong—and dangerous. But at least Chiron wasn't threatening. In fact the centaur seemed concerned for him, afraid for his safety.**_

The gods breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone else but Chiron was there, Jason would've been dead. Killed by the Greeks. There would've been a massive war.

_**The fire reflected in Chiron's eyes, making them dance fretfully. "I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I've seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don't. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you—you are not like any pupil I've ever taught. Your presence here could be a disaster."**_

"_**Thanks," Jason said. "You must be an inspiring teacher."**_

"_**I am sorry, my boy. But it's true. I had hoped that after Percy's success—"**_

"_**Percy Jackson, you mean. Annabeth's boyfriend, the one who's missing."**_

Sally gave a slight tremble.

_**Chiron nodded. "I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come."**_

_**In the corner, the arcade game made a sad pew-pew-pew-pew sound, like a Pac-Man had just died.**_

"Great timing, D." Apollo said.

Dionysus snorted. "I had nothing to do with that. Like I would watch that dreadful camp after I'm gone."

"Yeah, sure." Apollo muttered nervously, after seeing Mr. D's glare.

"_**Ohh-kay," Jason said. "So—last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun, but can we go back to the part where I'm supposed to be dead? I don't like that part."**_

"I don't like it either." Beryl mumbled.

"_**I'm afraid I can't explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never …" Chiron frowned. "But you're here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible. I don't understand. Who would've done such a thing? Who—"**_

_**Seymour the leopard howled. His mouth froze, half open. The arcade game stopped beeping. The fire stopped crackling, its flames hardening like red glass. The masks stared down silently at Jason with their grotesque grape eyes and leafy tongues.**_

"Creepy." Murmured Tristan.

"_**Chiron?" Jason asked. "What's going—"**_

_**The old centaur had frozen, too. Jason jumped off the couch, but Chiron kept staring at the same spot, his mouth open mid-sentence. His eyes didn't blink. His chest didn't move.**_

_**Jason, a voice said.**_

_**For a horrible moment, he thought the leopard had spoken. Then dark mist boiled out of Seymour's mouth, and an even worse thought occurred to Jason: storm spirits.**_

_**He grabbed the golden coin from his pocket. With a quick flip, it changed into a sword.**_

_**The mist took the form of a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded, but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak. Jason wasn't sure how he knew it was goatskin, but he recognized it and knew it was important.**_

_**Would you attack your patron? the woman chided.**_

"Hera/Juno." Hissed several people.

Hera's form flickered for a minute.

_**Her voice echoed in Jason's head. Lower your sword.**_

"_**Who are you?" he demanded. "How did you—"**_

_**Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I've managed to bring you here, but now I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to you.**_

"_**You're in prison?" Jason decided maybe he wouldn't lower his sword. "Look, I don't know you, and you're not my patron."**_

_**You know me, she insisted. I have known you since your birth.**_

"_**I don't remember. I don't remember anything."**_

_**No, you don't, she agreed. That also was necessary. Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.**_

Beryl hissed and muttered things under her breath. None of them flattering towards the Queen of the Gods.

"_**Whoa," Jason said. "I don't belong to anyone."**_

_**Now is the time to pay your debt, she said. Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory.**_

"_**Is that a threat? You took my memories?"**_

_**You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me.**_

_**The dark woman dissolved, and the mist curled into the leopard's mouth.**_

_**Time unfroze. Seymour's howl turned into a cough like he'd sucked in a hair ball. The fire crackled to life, the arcade machine beeped, and Chiron said, "—would dare to bring you here?"**_

"_**Probably the lady in the mist," Jason offered.**_

_**Chiron looked up in surprise. "Weren't you just sitting … why do you have a sword drawn?"**_

"_**I hate to tell you this," Jason said, "but I think your leopard just ate a goddess."**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

Hera glared at them.

_**He told Chiron about the frozen-in-time visit, the dark misty figure that disappeared into Seymour's mouth.**_

"_**Oh, dear," Chiron murmured. "That does explain a lot."**_

"_**Then why don't you explain a lot to me?" Jason said. "Please."**_

_**Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside. The front door blew open, and Annabeth and another girl, a redhead, burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper's head lolled like she was unconscious.**_

Tristan gasped. "Piper."

"She'll be fine." Aphrodite consoled.

"_**What happened?" Jason rushed over. "What's wrong with her?"**_

"_**Hera's cabin," Annabeth gasped, like they'd run all the way. "Vision. Bad."**_

_**The redheaded girl looked up, and Jason saw that she'd been crying.**_

"_**I think …" The redheaded girl gulped. "I think I may have killed her."**_

"Done." Frederick said.

"Good. I'm starving." Apollo waved his hand a feast appeared before the mortals. "We have to go do things, so enjoy and we'll be back here in an hour."

The gods got off their thrones, one by one, and left the room.

Sally started towards the food, followed by all of the others.

After they were done eating, Frederick caught up to Sally. "My daughter," He asked. "Does she ever come home?" He looked hopeful, but at the same time discouraged.

"Yes." Sally said. "But only for short visits. Percy was the one actually to get her to talk to you."

Frederick looked happy, well, happier. "Thank you. Maybe your son isn't all that bad."

Sally smiled. "You're welcome."

The others paired up in groups and got to know each other.

When the hour was up the gods trickled back in.

"Who'll read now?" asked Zeus.

"I will." Said Athena. "_**Chapter 8 Jason."**_

_**JASON AND THE REDHEAD, WHO INTRODUCED herself as Rachel, put Piper on the couch while Annabeth rushed down the hall to get a med kit. Piper was still breathing, but she wouldn't wake up. She seemed to be in some kind of coma.**_

Tristan looked really worried. "Shouldn't they get her to the hospital or something?"

The gods looked at him weird. "We give the demigods some of our food. In small amounts, it heals them. If they take too much they can die. Mortals who eat it, die instantly, no matter how small of a bite they get." Athena explained. "Now, can I read or,"

"Read, daughter." Zeus said.

"Okay."

"_**We've got to heal her," Jason insisted. "There's a way, right?"**_

_**Seeing her so pale, barely breathing, Jason felt a surge of protectiveness. Maybe he didn't really know her. Maybe she wasn't his girlfriend. But they'd survived the Grand Canyon together. They'd come all this way. He'd left her side for a little while, and this had happened.**_

_**Chiron put his hand on her forehead and grimaced. "Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel, what happened?"**_

"_**I wish I knew," she said. "As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then—I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice."**_

"_**A prophecy?" Chiron asked.**_

"_**No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me."**_

Apollo glared at Hera. "Don't touch my oracle again." He said.

Hera sniffed. "I needed help. She was the only available option for getting that help."

"Oh, yeah. Well, next time, find another way! You could've killed her." Apollo glared even more harder at her. "Don't touch my oracle!"

"Apollo, you can yell at her later. We kind of have a story to read." Artemis said.

"Fine." Apollo said huffily. "Thena."

Athena as about to yell back at him to not call her Thena, but she noticed Artemis look. She nodded and continued to read.

_**Annabeth ran in with a leather pouch. She knelt next to Piper. "Chiron, what happened back there—I've never seen anything like it. I've heard Rachel's prophecy voice. This was different. She sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper's shoulders and told her—"**_

"_**To free her from a prison?" Jason guessed.**_

_**Annabeth stared at him. "How did you know that?"**_

_**Chiron made a three-fingered gesture over his heart, like a ward against evil.**_

"_**Jason, tell them. Annabeth, the medicine bag, please."**_

_**Chiron trickled drops from a medicine vial into Piper's mouth while Jason explained what had happened when the room froze—the dark misty woman who had claimed to be Jason's patron.**_

_**When he was done, no one spoke, which made him more anxious.**_

"_**So does this happen often?" he asked. "Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?"**_

Hermes busted out laughing. Apollo let out a slight smirk.

"_**Your patron," Annabeth said. "Not your godly parent?"**_

"_**No, she said patron. She also said my dad had given her my life."**_

Beryl muttered under her breath.

_**Annabeth frowned. "I've never of heard anything like that before. You said the storm spirit on the skywalk—he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?"**_

"_**I don't think so," Jason said. "If she were my enemy, why would she be asking for my help? She's imprisoned. She's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice—"**_

_**Annabeth turned to Chiron. "Not Kronos. Please tell me it's not that."**_

_**The centaur looked miserable. He held Piper's wrist, checking her pulse.**_

_**At last he said, "It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But …"**_

"_**But what?" Annabeth asked.**_

_**Chiron closed the medicine bag. "Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later."**_

"_**Or now," Jason said. "Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can't possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?"**_

"_**Oh," Rachel said in a small voice. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment."**_

"_**Hera?" Annabeth's snarl was even fiercer than Seymour's.**_

Hera muttered death threats under her breath.

"_**She took you over? She did this to Piper?"**_

"_**I think Rachel's right," Jason said. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this—this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"**_

"_**It is?" Annabeth scowled. "I've never heard that."**_

_**Chiron nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."**_

"_**So Hera is imprisoned?" Rachel asked. "Who could do that to the queen of the gods?"**_

"Someone we should thank." Apollo muttered.

_**Annabeth crossed her arms. "Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera—"**_

Apollo laughed, darkly.

"_**Annabeth," Chiron warned, "she is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods' family together.**_

Apollo sighed. "Then there's that." He said softly.

_**If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help—"**_

"_**Fine," Annabeth grumbled. "Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago.**_

Apollo glared again.

_**And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time.**_

Ares and Aphrodite flinched.

_**But something worse than a Titan … ?"**_

_**Jason looked at the leopard's head. Seymour was smacking his lips like the goddess had tasted much better than a Snausage. **_

Hera huffed. Apollo and Hermes snickered.

"_**Hera said she'd been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month."**_

"_**Which is how long Olympus has been closed," Annabeth said. "So the gods must know something bad is going on."**_

"_**But why use her energy to send me here?" Jason asked. "She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent you a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods—let them know where she is so they bust her out?"**_

"_**The gods need heroes to do their will down here on earth," Rachel said. "That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with demigods."**_

"_**That's true," Annabeth said, "but Jason's got a point. Why him? Why take his memory?"**_

"So he doesn't go full Roman soldier on your butts and kill you all." Hermes said sarcastically.

"Hermes." Zeus said warningly.

"_**And Piper's involved somehow," Rachel said. "Hera sent her the same message—Free me. And, Annabeth, this must have something to do with Percy's disappearing."**_

_**Annabeth fixed her eyes on Chiron. "Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we're facing?"**_

_**The old centaur's face looked like it had aged ten years in a matter of minutes. The lines around his eyes were deeply etched. "My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry."**_

_**Annabeth blinked. "You've never … you've never kept information from me. Even the last great prophecy—"**_

"Last great prophecy?" asked Emily.

The question was waved away. "The first book series." was her answer given by Apollo.

"_**I will be in my office." His voice was heavy. "I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about—about the Greek and Roman gods."**_

"_**But …"**_

_**The centaur turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway. Annabeth's eyes turned stormy. She muttered something in Greek, and Jason got the feeling it wasn't complimentary toward centaurs.**_

"Annabeth Chase." Athena and Frederick scolded.

"_**I'm sorry," Jason said. "I think my being here—I don't know. I've messed things up coming to the camp, somehow. Chiron said he'd sworn an oath and couldn't talk about it."**_

"_**What oath?" Annabeth demanded. "I've never seen him act this way. And why would he tell me to talk to you about the gods..."**_

_**Her voice trailed off. Apparently she'd just noticed Jason's sword sitting on the coffee table. She touched the blade gingerly, like it might be hot.**_

"_**Is this gold?"**_

"Yes." Hermes said

_**she said. "Do you remember where you got it?"**_

"No."

"Hermes." Yelled Athena. "I'm trying to read."

"Sorry, Thena, but you asked." Hermes said, trying to lighten up the tension in the room.

Athena's eye twitched. She was about to stand up when a voice stopped her.

"Athena, read please, we don't have time to waste playing around." Zeus said.

"_**No," Jason said. "Like I said, I don't remember anything."**_

_**Annabeth nodded, like she'd just come up with a rather desperate plan. "If Chiron won't help, we'll need to figure things out ourselves. Which means … Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, you'll keep an eye on Piper?"**_

"_**Sure," Rachel promised. "Good luck, you two."**_

"_**Hold on," Jason said. "What's in Cabin Fifteen?"**_

_**Annabeth stood. "Maybe a way to get your memory back."**_

"Yes, please." Beryl muttered.

_**They headed toward a newer wing of cabins in the southwest corner of the green. Some were fancy, with glowing walls or blazing torches, but Cabin Fifteen was not so dramatic. It looked like an old-fashioned prairie house with mud walls and a rush roof. On the door hung a wreath of crimson flowers—red poppies, Jason thought, though he wasn't sure how he knew.**_

"_**You think this is my parent's cabin?" he asked.**_

"_**No," Annabeth said. "This is the cabin for Hypnos, the god of sleep."**_

"_**Then why—"**_

"_**You've forgotten everything," she said. "If there's any god who can help us figure out memory loss, it's Hypnos."**_

_**Inside, even though it was almost dinnertime, three kids were sound asleep under piles of covers. A warm fire crackled in the hearth. Above the mantel hung a tree branch, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls. Jason was tempted to catch a drop on his finger just to see what it was,**_

The gods paled. "Don't, please don't." Zeus murmured.

_**but he held himself back.**_

_**Soft violin music played from somewhere. The air smelled like fresh laundry. The cabin was so cozy and peaceful that Jason's eyelids started to feel heavy. A nap sounded like a great idea. He was exhausted. There were plenty of empty beds, all with feather pillows and fresh sheets and fluffy quilts and—**_

Athena yawned. Everyone else followed.

_**Annabeth nudged him. "Snap out of it."**_

_**Jason blinked. He realized his knees had been starting to buckle.**_

"_**Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone," Annabeth warned. "If you ask me, this place is even more dangerous than the Ares cabin.**_

"Hey, I find offence in that." Ares grumbled.

_**At least with Ares, you can learn where the land mines are."**_

"Landmines?" asked several mortal parents, looking pale.

"Yup." Ares grinned. "Landmines."

"_**Land mines?"**_

_**She walked up to the nearest snoring kid and shook his shoulder. "Clovis! Wake up!"**_

_**The kid looked like a baby cow. He had a blond tuft of hair on a wedge-shaped head, with thick features and a thick neck. His body was stocky, but he had spindly little arms like he'd never lifted anything heavier than a pillow.**_

"_**Clovis!" Annabeth shook harder, then finally knocked on his forehead about six times.**_

"_**Wh-wh-what?" Clovis complained, sitting up and squinting. He yawned hugely, and both Annabeth and Jason yawned too.**_

As did everyone else.

"_**Stop that!" Annabeth said. "We need your help."**_

"_**I was sleeping."**_

"_**You're always sleeping."**_

"_**Good night."**_

_**Before he could pass out, Annabeth yanked his pillow offthe bed.**_

"_**That's not fair," Clovis complained meekly. "Give it back."**_

"_**First help," Annabeth said. "Then sleep."**_

_**Clovis sighed. His breath smelled like warm milk. "Fine. What?"**_

_**Annabeth explained about Jason's problem. Every once in a while she'd snap her fingers under Clovis's nose to keep him awake.**_

_**Clovis must have been really excited, because when Annabeth was done, he didn't pass out. He actually stood and stretched, then blinked at Jason. "So you don't remember anything, huh?"**_

"_**Just impressions," Jason said. "Feelings, like …"**_

"_**Yes?" Clovis said.**_

"_**Like I know I shouldn't be here. At this camp. I'm in danger."**_

"Instincts." Muttered Beryl.

"_**Hmm. Close your eyes."**_

_**Jason glanced at Annabeth, but she nodded reassuringly.**_

_**Jason was afraid he'd end up snoring in one of the bunks forever, but he closed his eyes. His thoughts became murky, as if he were sinking into a dark lake.**_

_**The next thing he knew, his eyes snapped open. He was sitting in a chair by the fire. Clovis and Annabeth knelt next to him.**_

"—_**serious, all right," Clovis was saying.**_

"_**What happened?" Jason said. "How long—"**_

"_**Just a few minutes," Annabeth said. "But it was tense. You almost dissolved."**_

"Does she mean that literally or figuratively?" worried Beryl.

_**Jason hoped she didn't mean literally, but her expression was solemn.**_

"_**Usually," Clovis said, "memories are lost for a good reason. They sink under the surface like dreams, and with a good sleep, I can bring them back. But this …"**_

"_**Lethe?" Annabeth asked.**_

"_**No," Clovis said. "Not even Lethe."**_

"_**Lethe?" Jason asked.**_

"What do they mean Lethe?" Tristan asked Sally.

"I think they meant the river in the Underworld." Sally whispered back.

_**Clovis pointed to the tree branch dripping milky drops above the fireplace. "The River Lethe in the Underworld. It dissolves your memories, wipes your mind clean permanently. That's the branch of a poplar tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. It's the symbol of my father, Hypnos. Lethe is not a place you want to go swimming."**_

_**Annabeth nodded. "Percy went there once. He told me it was powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan."**_

"Wow. Yeah, please don't touch the branch." Beryl said.

_**Jason was suddenly glad he hadn't touched the branch. "But … that's not my problem?"**_

"_**No," Clovis agreed. "Your mind wasn't wiped, and your memories weren't buried. They've been stolen."**_

_**The fire crackled. Drops of Lethe water plinked into the tin cups on the mantel. One of the other Hypnos campers muttered in his sleep—something about a duck.**_

"_**Stolen," Jason said. "How?"**_

"_**A god," Clovis said. "Only a god would have that kind of power."**_

"Or goddess." Hera huffed.

"_**We know that," said Jason. "It was Juno. But how did she do it, and why?"**_

_**Clovis scratched his neck. "Juno?"**_

"_**He means Hera," Annabeth said. "For some reason, Jason likes the Roman names."**_

"_**Hmm," Clovis said.**_

"_**What?" Jason asked. "Does that mean something?"**_

"_**Hmm," Clovis said again, and this time Jason realized he was snoring.**_

"Ah, Hypnos' kids. Gotta love them." Hermes said sarcastically.

"_**Clovis!" he yelled.**_

"_**What? What?" His eyes fluttered open. "We were talking about pillows, right? No, gods. I remember. Greek and Roman. Sure, could be important."**_

"_**But they're the same gods," Annabeth said. "Just different names."**_

"_**Not exactly," Clovis said.**_

_**Jason sat forward, now very much awake. "What do you mean, not exactly?"**_

"_**Well …" Clovis yawned. "Some gods are only Roman. Like Janus, or Pompona. But even the major Greek gods—it's not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities."**_

"_**But …" Annabeth faltered. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently through the centuries. That doesn't change who they are."**_

"_**Sure it does." Clovis began to nod off, and Jason snapped his fingers under his nose.**_

"_**Coming, Mother!" he yelped.**_

The gods snickered.

"_**I mean … Yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Annabeth. I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-eighth Street, right?**_

Everyone stared at Zeus.

"You know it's sad when a demigod knows your favorite place to eat." Hera mused.

Zeus blushed.

The other gods snickered.

_**It was the same in Roman times, and the gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasted for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character."**_

"_**Makes sense," Jason said.**_

_**Annabeth shook her head, mystified. "But how do you know all this, Clovis?"**_

"_**Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming. I see the gods there all the time—always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know. You can be in different places at once, always changing identities. It's a lot like being a god, actually. Like recently, I dreamed I was watching a Michael Jackson concert, and then I was onstage with Michael Jackson, and we were singing this duet, and I could not remember the words for 'The Girl Is Mine.' Oh, man, it was so embarrassing, I—"**_

People laughed.

"_**Clovis," Annabeth interrupted. "Back to Rome?"**_

"_**Right, Rome," Clovis said. "So we call the gods by their Greek names because that's their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same—that's not true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn't mingle with mortals as much. They were harsher, more powerful—the gods of an empire."**_

"_**Like the dark side of the gods?" Annabeth asked.**_

"_**Not exactly," Clovis said. "They stood for discipline, honor, strength—"**_

"_**Good things, then," Jason said. For some reason, he felt the need to speak up for the Roman gods,**_

"Because you are Roman." Beryl said.

_**though wasn't sure why it mattered to him. "I mean, discipline is important, right? That's what made Rome last so long."**_

_**Clovis gave him a curious look. "That's true. But the Roman gods weren't very friendly. For instance, my dad, Hypnos … he didn't do much except sleep in Greek times. In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn't stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded offat the wrong time, boom—they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy."**_

"Remind me not to fall asleep on the job." Esperanza whispered to Emily.

Emily nodded.

"_**Nice guy," Annabeth said. "But I still don't understand what it has to do with Jason."**_

"_**Neither do I," Clovis said. "But if Hera took your memory, only she can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was more in a Hera mood than a Juno mood. Can I go back to sleep now?"**_

_**Annabeth stared at the branch above the fire, dripping Lethe water into the cups. She looked so worried, Jason wondered if she was considering a drink to forget her troubles.**_

"Oh, sweetheart. Don't. It's not worth it." Sally said.

Athena and Frederick looked resigned. They knew Sally would always be closer to Annabeth than them.

_**Then she stood and tossed Clovis his pillow. "Thanks, Clovis. We'll see you at dinner."**_

"_**Can I get room service?" Clovis yawned and stumbled to his bunk. "I feel like … zzzz …" He collapsed with his butt in the air and his face buried in pillow.**_

"_**Won't he suffocate?" Jason asked.**_

"_**He'll be fine," Annabeth said. "But I'm beginning to think that you are in serious trouble."**_

"Done. Who's next?" Athena said.

"Can I read?" asked Tristan.

"Sure." Athena levitated the book over to him.

"Lazy." Apollo said under his breath.

Hermes snickered.

* * *

**_Addy_**


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own the bold. Enjoy

* * *

"_**Chapter 9"**_ Tristan read. "_**Piper."**_

_**PIPER DREAMED ABOUT HER LAST DAY with her dad.**_

_**They were on the beach near Big Sur, taking a break from surfing. The morning had been so perfect, Piper knew something had to go wrong soon—a rabid horde of paparazzi, or maybe a great white shark attack. No way her luck could hold.**_

_**But so far, they'd had excellent waves, an overcast sky, and a mile of oceanfront completely to themselves. Dad had found this out-of-the-way spot, rented a beachfront villa and the properties on either side, and somehow managed to keep it secret. If he stayed there too long, Piper knew the photographers would find him. They always did.**_

"Excuse me, but who are you exactly?" asked Frederick.

Tristan sighed. "Tristan Mclean." He said reluctantly.

"Oh, that up and coming actor?" Frederick queried.

Tristan nodded.

"Oh, cool." Frederick looked to be waiting for the book to read.

"Uh, you aren't going to freak out either?" Tristan asked.

"Like Sally said, 'You put your pants on the same as the rest of us, right?'" Frederick said. "That goes for all of us."

"Here here." Chorused the other mortal parents.

"I'm an actress as well." Beryl said.

Tristan looked relieved. "You don't know how tiring it is to be noticed and have people freak out. I am grateful."

"Good, good. Now the book." Zeus said.

"Oh, right." Tristan read on.

"_**Nice job out there, Pipes." He gave her the smile he was famous for: perfect teeth, dimpled chin, a twinkle in his dark eyes that always made grown women scream and ask him to sign their bodies in permanent marker. (Seriously, Piper thought, get a life.) His close-cropped black hair gleamed with salt water. "You're getting better at hanging ten."**_

_**Piper flushed with pride, though she suspected Dad was just being nice. She still spent most of her time wiping out. It took special talent to run over yourself with a surfboard.**_

Poseidon snickered to himself. He might have to ask Percy to help her. Maybe that will take his mind off of . . . He shuddered. Tartarus. We'll have to read about it. Great.

_**Her dad was the natural surfer—which made no sense since he'd been raised a poor kid in Oklahoma, hundreds of miles from the ocean—but he was amazing on the curls. Piper would've given up surfing a long time ago except it let her spend time with him. There weren't many ways she could do that.**_

Tristan sighed. _Pipes. We could've done something else. I must spend more time with you. I will. I don't mean to brush you off. You just remind me of her._

Tristan had paused in his reading when he read this. When he noticed he had he hurriedly continued.

"_**Sandwich?" Dad dug into the picnic basket his chef, Arno, had made. "Let's see: turkey pesto, crabcake wasabi—ah, a Piper special. Peanut butter and jelly."**_

_**She took the sandwich, though her stomach was too upset to eat. She always asked for PB&amp;J. Piper was vegetarian, for one thing. She had been ever since they'd driven past that slaughterhouse in Chino and the smell had made her insides want to come outside. **_

Aphrodite looked a little green.

"You okay?" asked Artemis.

"Yeah. Just imagining the smell." Aphrodite whispered back.

_**But it was more than that. PB&amp;J was simple food, like a regular kid would have for lunch. Sometimes she pretended her dad had actually made it for her, not a personal chef from France who liked to wrap the sandwich in gold leaf paper with a light-up sparkler instead of a toothpick.**_

Tristan steeled himself.

_**Couldn't anything be simple? That's why she turned down the fancy clothes Dad always offered, the designer shoes, the trips to the salon. She cut her own hair with a pair of plastic Garfield safety scissors, deliberately making it uneven. She preferred to wear beat-up running shoes, jeans, a T-shirt, and her old Polartec jacket from the time they went snowboarding.**_

_**And she hated the snobby private schools Dad thought were good for her. She kept getting herself kicked out. He kept finding more schools.**_

_**Yesterday, she'd pulled her biggest heist yet—driving that "borrowed" BMW out of the dealership.**_

Hermes' jaw dropped. "She really did steal a car." He said in awe. "Aphrodite, your kid is great."

Aphrodite preened. "Thanks."

_**She had to pull a bigger stunt each time, because it took more and more to get Dad's attention.**_

_**Now she regretted it. Dad didn't know yet.**_

_**She'd meant to tell him that morning. Then he'd surprised her with this trip, and she couldn't ruin it. It was the first time they'd had a day together in what—three months?**_

All the parents stared at Tristan. He ignored their looks and continued to read.

"_**What's wrong?" He passed her a soda.**_

"_**Dad, there's something—"**_

"_**Hold on, Pipes. That's a serious face. Ready for Any Three Questions?"**_

_**They'd been playing that game for years—her dad's way of staying connected in the shortest possible amount of time. They could ask each other any three questions. Nothing off-limits, and you had to answer honestly. The rest of the time, Dad promised to stay out of her business—which was easy, since he was never around.**_

_**Piper knew most kids would find a Q&amp;A like this with their parents totally mortifying. But she looked forward to it. It was like surfing—not easy, but a way to feel like she actually had a father.**_

Tristan sighed. He will do better.

"_**First question," she said. "Mom."**_

_**No surprise. That was always one of her topics.**_

_**Her dad shrugged with resignation. "What do you want to know, Piper? I've already told you—she disappeared. I don't know why, or where she went. After you were born, she simply left. I never heard from her again."**_

Tristan's voice wavered at that.

Aphrodite looked mournful. "It was for your own good." She whispered.

"_**Do you think she's still alive?"**_

_**It wasn't a real question. Dad was allowed to say he didn't know. But she wanted to hear how he'd answer.**_

_**He stared at the waves.**_

"_**Your Grandpa Tom," he said at last, "he used to tell me that if you walked far enough toward the sunset, you'd come to Ghost Country, where you could talk to the dead. He said a long time ago, you could bring the dead back; but then mankind messed up. Well, it's a long story."**_

"_**Like the Land of the Dead for the Greeks," Piper remembered. "It was in the west, too. And Orpheus—he tried to bring his wife back."**_

"Still is in the west, girl." Hades said.

_**Dad nodded. A year before, he'd had his biggest role as an Ancient Greek king. Piper had helped him research the myths—all those old stories about people getting turned to stone and boiled in lakes of lava.**_

The gods flinched. Was that really how people saw them? Just running around falling love with mortals, and having kids? Like Annabeth put it? Or punishing people on a whim? Like Piper thinks.

_**They'd had a fun time reading together, and it made Piper's life seem not so bad. For a while she'd felt closer to her dad, but like everything, it didn't last.**_

"_**Lot of similarities between Greek and Cherokee," Dad agreed. "Wonder what your grandpa would think if he saw us now, sitting at the end of the western land. He'd probably think we're ghosts."**_

"_**So you're saying you believe those stories? You think Mom is dead?"**_

_**His eyes watered, and Piper saw the sadness behind them.**_

Aphrodite sniffed. She didn't mean to hurt him. She just couldn't stay forever with him.

Tristan steeled his voice and read further.

_**She figured that's why women were so attracted to him. On the surface, he seemed confident and rugged, but his eyes held so much sadness. Women wanted to find out why. They wanted to comfort him, and they never could. Dad told Piper it was a Cherokee thing—they all had that darkness inside them from generations of pain and suffering. But Piper thought it was more than that.**_

"_**I don't believe the stories," he said. "They're fun to tell, but if I really believed in Ghost Country, or animal spirits, or Greek gods … I don't think I could sleep at night. I'd always be looking for somebody to blame."**_

_**Somebody to blame for Grandpa Tom dying of lung cancer, Piper thought, before Dad got famous and had the money to help. For Mom—the only woman he'd ever loved —abandoning him without even a good-bye note, leaving him with a newborn girl he wasn't ready to care for.**_

Aphrodite flinched.

"I don't blame you. Not any more. I now see it's impossible." Tristan said before reading on.

_**For his being so successful, and yet still not happy.**_

"_**I don't know if she's alive," he said. "But I do think she might as well be in Ghost Country, Piper. There's no getting her back. If I believed otherwise … I don't think I could stand that, either."**_

_**Behind them, a car door opened. Piper turned, and her heart sank. Jane was marching toward them in her business suit, wobbling over the sand in her high heels, her PDA in hand. The look on her face was partly annoyed, partly triumphant, and Piper knew she'd been in touch with the police.**_

_**Please fall down, Piper prayed. If there's any animal spirit or Greek god that can help, make Jane take a header.**_

"Love to, but we can't." Hermes muttered under his breath.

Aphrodite fumed. She was going to destroy that mortal.

_**I'm not asking for permanent damage, just knock her out for the rest of the day, please?**_

_**But Jane kept advancing.**_

"_**Dad," Piper said quickly. "Something happened yesterday…"**_

_**But he'd seen Jane, too. He was already reconstructing his business face. Jane wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious. A studio head called—a project fell through—or Piper had messed up again.**_

"That's really a cause for that disgusting mortal to show up? Piper messed up again?" asked an irate Athena.

Tristan nodded hesitantly. He quickly started reading again.

"_**We'll get back to that, Pipes," he promised. "I'd better see what Jane wants. You know how she is."**_

_**Yes—Piper knew. Dad trudged across the sand to meet her. Piper couldn't hear them talking, but she didn't need to. She was good at reading faces. Jane gave him the facts about the stolen car, occasionally pointing at Piper like she was a disgusting pet that had whizzed on the carpet.**_

_**Dad's energy and enthusiasm drained away. He gestured for Jane to wait. Then he walked back to Piper. She couldn't stand that look in his eyes—like she'd betrayed his trust.**_

"_**You told me you would try, Piper," he said.**_

"_**Dad, I hate that school. I can't do it. I wanted to tell you about the BMW, but—"**_

"_**They've expelled you," he said. "A car, Piper? You're sixteen next year. I would buy you any car you want. How could you—"**_

"_**You mean Jane would buy me a car?" Piper demanded.**_

Tristan looked really sad and hurt by this.

_**She couldn't help it. The anger just welled up and spilled out of her. "Dad, just listen for once. Don't make me wait for you to ask your stupid three questions. I want to go to regular school. I want you to take me to parents' night, not Jane. Or homeschool me! I learned so much when we read about Greece together. We could do that all the time! We could—"**_

Tristan read a little further and his face crumbled. "I just need a moment." He closed the book and walked out of the room.

After a few minutes there was a loud crash outside the throne room.

Aphrodite started to get up but Sally said, "Let me, my lady."

Sally walked outside the room to see Tristan clutching his hand and the shattered remains of a vase on the floor.

"I didn't know she felt that way. If only I would've known." Tristan said, looking heartbroken at Sally.

Sally cautiously approached. "Well, now you know. You can change things and get to know her. You don't have to keep pushing her away. You can be there for her now. In these books we will get a first hand view of how our kids think. We can change things. My son has been on four quests and has fought in one war. He survived all of that and is stronger and I would love to know what goes on in his head. Find out what your daughter thinks and turn it around for the good. Be there for her."

"Alright. I will. I think I cut my hand." Tristan said, looking a little pale.

Sally saw blood drip down on the floor. "Come on. Lord Apollo can hopefully fix that right up."

They walked back into the room to see everyone sitting in an awkward silence.

"Lord Apollo?" Sally asked. "Tristan cut his hand."

"Let me see." Apollo got up. He walked over and looked at his hand. "Oh, that's simple." He said a few words and the cut closed up. "Perfect."

Tristan looked at his hand and said, "Thank you."

Tristan walked over and picked the book back up.

"_**Don't make this about me," her dad said. "I do the best I can, Piper. We've had this conversation."**_

_**No, she thought. You've cut off this conversation. For years.**_

_**Her dad sighed. "Jane's talked to the police, brokered a deal. The dealership won't press charges, but you have to agree to go to a boarding school in Nevada. They specialize in problems … in kids with tough issues."**_

"_**That's what I am." Her voice trembled. "A problem."**_

"_**Piper … you said you'd try. You let me down. I don't know what else to do."**_

"_**Do anything," she said. "But do it yourself! Don't let Jane handle it for you. You can't just send me away."**_

_**Dad looked down at the picnic basket. His sandwich sat uneaten on a piece of gold leaf paper. They'd planned for a whole afternoon in the surf. Now that was ruined.**_

_**Piper couldn't believe he'd really give in to Jane's wishes. Not this time. Not on something as huge as boarding school.**_

"_**Go see her," Dad said. "She's got the details."**_

"_**Dad …"**_

_**He looked away, gazing at the ocean like he could see all the way to Ghost Country. Piper promised herself she wouldn't cry. She headed up the beach toward Jane, who smiled coldly and held up a plane ticket. As usual, she'd already arranged everything. Piper was just another problem of the day that Jane could now check off her list.**_

_**Piper's dream changed.**_

"Oh, boy, demigod dreams." Hermes said.

_**She stood on a mountaintop at night, city lights glimmering below. In front of her, a bonfire blazed. Purplish flames seemed to cast more shadows than light, but the heat was so intense, her clothes steamed.**_

"_**This is your second warning," a voice rumbled, so powerful it shook the earth. Piper had heard that voice before in her dreams. She'd tried to convince herself it wasn't as scary as she remembered, but it was worse.**_

_**Behind the bonfire, a huge face loomed out of the darkness. It seemed to float above the flames, but Piper knew it must be connected to an enormous body. The crude features might've been chiseled out of rock. The face hardly seemed alive except for its piercing white eyes, like raw diamonds, and its horrible frame of dreadlocks, braided with human bones. It smiled, and Piper shivered.**_

As did everyone else.

"_**You'll do what you're told," the giant said. "You'll go on the quest. Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. Otherwise—"**_

_**He gestured to one side of the fire. Piper's father was hanging unconscious, tied to a stake.**_

_**She tried to cry out. She wanted to call to her dad, and demand the giant let him go, but her voice wouldn't work.**_

"_**I'll be watching," the giant said. "Serve me, and you both live. You have the word of Enceladus. Fail me … well, I've slept for millennia, young demigod. I am very hungry. Fail, and I'll eat well."**_

_**The giant roared with laughter. The earth trembled. A crevice opened at Piper's feet, and she tumbled into darkness.**_

_**She woke feeling like she'd been trampled by an Irish step-dancing troupe. Her chest hurt, and she could barely breathe. She reached down and closed her hand around the hilt of the dagger Annabeth had given her—Katoptris, Helen of Troy's weapon.**_

_**So Camp Half-Blood hadn't been a dream.**_

"_**How are you feeling?" someone asked.**_

_**Piper tried to focus. She was lying in a bed with a white curtain on one side, like in a nurse's office. That redheaded girl, Rachel Dare, sat next to her. On the wall was a poster of a cartoon satyr who looked disturbingly like Coach Hedge with a thermometer sticking out of his mouth. The caption read: Don't let sickness get your goat!**_

Apollo looked grossed out. "Okay they have got to change that. I'll let my kids know as soon as I can."

"_**Where—" Piper's voice died when she saw the guy at the door.**_

_**He looked like a typical California surfer dude—buff and tan, blond hair, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. But he had hundreds of blue eyes all over his body—along his arms, down his legs, and all over his face. Even his feet had eyes, peering up at her from between the straps of his sandals.**_

"_**That's Argus," Rachel said, "our head of security. He's just keeping an eye on things … so to speak."**_

"And that's a bad pun. I will also have to have a talk with my oracle." Apollo shivered.

_**Argus nodded. The eye on his chin winked.**_

"_**Where—?" Piper tried again, but she felt like she was talking through a mouthful of cotton.**_

"_**You're in the Big House," Rachel said. "Camp offices. We brought you here when you collapsed."**_

"_**You grabbed me," Piper remembered. "Hera's voice—"**_

"_**I'm so sorry about that," Rachel said. "Believe me, it was not my idea to get possessed.**_

Apollo glared at Hera.

"Oh my word, just let it go Apollo." Hera nearly yelled.

"Don't touch my oracle again, and I will let it go. Swear on the Styx." Apollo said back.

Hera sighed, exasperated. "I, Hera, swear on the Styx to not touch Apollo's oracle again."

Thunder boomed.

Apollo looked satisfied. "Thank you."

Hera huffed. "Mr. Mclean." She snapped.

"Oh, Right." Trist said hurriedly.

_**Chiron healed you with some nectar—"**_

"_**Nectar?"**_

"_**The drink of the gods. In small amounts, it heals demigods, if it doesn't—ah—burn you to ashes."**_

"_**Oh. Fun."**_

_**Rachel sat forward. "Do you remember your vision?"**_

_**Piper had a moment of dread, thinking she meant the dream about the giant. Then she realized Rachel was talking about what happened in Hera's cabin.**_

"_**Something's wrong with the goddess," Piper said. "She told me to free her, like she's trapped. She mentioned the earth swallowing us, and a fiery one, and something about the solstice."**_

_**In the corner, Argus made a rumbling sound in his chest. His eyes all fluttered at once.**_

"_**Hera created Argus," Rachel explained. "He's actually very sensitive when it comes to her safety. We're trying to keep him from crying, because last time that happened …well, it caused quite a flood."**_

"I can only imagine." Apollo said.

_**Argus sniffled. He grabbed a fistful of Kleenex from the bedside table and started dabbing eyes all over his body.**_

"_**So …" Piper tried not to stare as Argus wiped the tears from his elbows. "What's happened to Hera?"**_

"_**We're not sure," Rachel said. "Annabeth and Jason were here for you, by the way. Jason didn't want to leave you, but Annabeth had an idea—something that might restore his memories."**_

"_**That's … that's great."**_

_**Jason had been here for her? She wished she'd been conscious for that.**_

Tirstan's eye twitched as he kept reading.

_**But if he got his memories back, would that be a good thing? She was still holding out hope that they really did know each other. She didn't want their relationship to be just a trick of the Mist.**_

_**Get over yourself, she thought. If she was going to save her dad, it didn't matter whether Jason liked her or not. He would hate her eventually. Everyone here would.**_

"No they wouldn't, Piper. If only you would have at least told Jason and Leo." Aphrodite said almost inaudible.

_**She looked down at the ceremonial dagger strapped to her side. Annabeth had said it was a sign of power and status, but not normally used in battle. All show and no substance. A fake, just like Piper. And its name was Katoptris, looking glass. She didn't dare unsheathe it again, because she couldn't bear to see her own reflection.**_

"_**Don't worry." Rachel squeezed her arm. "Jason seems like a good guy. He had a vision too, a lot like yours. Whatever's happening with Hera—I think you two are meant to work together."**_

_**Rachel smiled like this was good news, but Piper's spirits plunged even further. She'd thought that this quest—whatever it was—would involve nameless people. Now Rachel was basically telling her: Good news! Not only is your dad being held ransom by a cannibal giant, you also get to betray the guy you like! How awesome is that?**_

"_**Hey," Rachel said. "No need to cry. You'll figure it out."**_

_**Piper wiped her eyes, trying to get control of herself. This wasn't like her. She was supposed to be tough—a hardened car thief, the scourge of L.A. private schools. Here she was, crying like a baby. "How can you know what I'm facing?"**_

_**Rachel shrugged. "I know it's a hard choice, and your options aren't great. Like I said, I get hunches sometimes.**_

Hermes laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Apollo.

"She probably is just trying to sound all mysterious because she is your oracle." Hermes said with a gleam in his eye.

"She is not." Apollo said.

"Wanna bet?" Hermes asked.

"100 drachmas." Apollo said in return.

"Done." Hermes said with glee.

As one they turned to Tristan.

_**But you're going to be claimed at the campfire. I'm almost sure. When you know who your godly parent is, things might be clearer."**_

_**Clearer, Piper thought. Not necessarily better.**_

_**She sat up in bed. Her forehead ached like someone had driven a spike between her eyes. There's no getting your mother back, her dad had told her. But apparently, tonight, her mom might claim her. For the first time, Piper wasn't sure she wanted that.**_

"_**I hope it's Athena."**_

"Sorry, but no." Athena said smiling to herself.

Aphrodite pouted.

_**She looked up, afraid Rachel might make fun of her, but the oracle just smiled.**_

"_**Piper, I don't blame you. Truthfully? I think Annabeth is hoping that too. You guys are a lot alike."**_

_**The comparison made Piper feel even guiltier. "Another hunch? You don't know anything about me."**_

"_**You'd be surprised."**_

"_**You're just saying that because you're an oracle, aren't you? You're supposed to sound all mysterious."**_

_**Rachel laughed. "Don't be giving away my secrets, Piper.**_

"Ha! I knew it! Pay up." Hermes gloated.

Apollo groaned and handed the money over.

"Thank you." He laughed.

_**And don't worry. Things will work out—just maybe not the way you plan."**_

"_**That's not making me feel better."**_

_**Somewhere in the distance, a conch horn blew. Argus grumbled and opened the door.**_

"_**Dinner?" Piper guessed.**_

"_**You slept through it," Rachel said. "Time for the campfire. Let's go find out who you are."**_

"Done. Who's next?" Tristan said.

"I will." said Aphrodite.

Tristan handed her the book.

"_**Chapter 10 Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**I don't own the bold. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**THE WHOLE CAMPFIRE IDEA FREAKED PIPER OUT. It made her think of that huge purple bonfire in the dreams, and her father tied to a stake.**_

Aphrodite and Tristan shivered.

_**What she got instead was almost as terrifying: a sing-along. The amphitheater steps were carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Fifty or sixty kids filled the rows, clustered into groups under various banners.**_

_**Piper spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer.**_

Esperanza and Hephaestus smiled.

_**Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old-fashioned harps—**_

Apollo was going to open his mouth but closed it as Aphrodite read the next line.

_**lyres?—were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war. **_

He smiled to himself.

_**Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around. It was quite possibly the weirdest thing Piper had ever seen—one of those campfire songs that would've been completely embarrassing in daylight; but in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.**_

_**Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted up. At least in the flickering light, Piper thought it was a guy on a horse. Then she realized it was a centaur—his bottom half a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard. He brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows. "Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached.**_

"Most of their limbs attached?" Emily asked shocked.

The gods laughed. "That's just Chiron's sense of humor." Ares explained.

"Oh." Emily said.

_**In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"**_

"_**What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.**_

Ares smirked.

"_**Yes," the centaur said. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."**_

"_**And kill people!" one of them shouted.**_

Ares whooped.

"Ares! Sit down." Hera ordered.

Ares sneered at her. "Whatever you say, mom."

He sat down though.

"_**However," Chiron said, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"**_

_**He turned to Leo's group. Leo winked at Piper and shot her with a finger gun. The girl next to him stood uncomfortably. She wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red bandanna. "We're working on it."**_

_**More grumbling.**_

"_**How, Nyssa?" an Ares kid demanded.**_

"_**Really hard," the girl said.**_

Everyone laughed. "A good answer." Athena said.

_**Nyssa sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically. Chiron stamped his hoof against the fire pit stones—bang, bang, bang—and the campers fell silent.**_

"_**We will have to be patient," Chiron said. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."**_

"_**Percy?" someone asked. The fire dimmed even further, but Piper didn't need the mood flames to sense the crowd's anxiety.**_

_**Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood.**_

"_**I didn't find Percy," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name. "He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis —everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."**_

"_**It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl called out.**_

_**Everyone turned. The voice had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: Drew.**_

Everyone scowled.

_**Everyone else looked surprised. Apparently Drew didn't address the crowd very often.**_

"_**Drew?" Annabeth said. "What do you mean?"**_

"_**Well, come on." Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"**_

_**Piper whispered to Rachel, "What's she talking about—the Great Prophecy?"**_

_**Then she realized everyone else was looking at Rachel, too.**_

"_**Well?" Drew called down. "You're the oracle. Has it started or not?"**_

_**Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight. Piper was afraid she might clench up and start channeling a freaky peacock goddess again, **_

Apollo looked about ready to comment when Hera said, "I already promised to not touch her, so no comments."

Apollo pouted but nodded.

_**but she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp.**_

"_**Yes," she said. "The Great Prophecy has begun."**_

_**Pandemonium broke out.**_

_**Piper caught Jason's eye. He mouthed, You all right? She nodded and managed a smile, but then looked away. It was too painful seeing him and not being with him.**_

_**When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and fifty-plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.**_

Apollo cackled while some gods looked offended.

"_**For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this:**_

"_**Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"**_

_**Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered.**_

_**Even Rachel seemed caught off guard. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's—"**_

"_**Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he chanted. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."**_

For a brief moment Aphrodite switched over to Venus to read the Latin, but was back in her Greek form before anybody noticed.

_**An uneasy silence settled on the group. Piper could see from their faces that several of them were trying to translate the lines. She could tell it was Latin, but she wasn't sure why her hopefully future boyfriend was suddenly chanting like a Catholic priest.**_

The mortals snorted while the gods, who had switched over to Roman, looked offended before switching back.

"_**You just … finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. "—An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"**_

"What's the whole prophecy?" asked Queen Marie.

"_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call_

_To storm or fire the world must fall"_

Esperanza, Beryl and Sally paled at this.

"_An oath to keep with a final breath._

_And foes bare arms to the Doors of Death." _Apollo finished.

Now all of the mortal parents were pale.

"Who are they fighting?" asked Emily.

The gods didn't answer.

It was quiet in the throne room until a voice called out, "Spoilers."

There were loud groans. "Sis, that's not funny." Apollo said.

Artemis laughed. "Of course it is, Trekie."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

Aphrodite read on to stop the bickering.

"_**I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."**_

"_**In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart."**_

_**There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin. God, what a bunch of losers, Piper thought.**_

Aphrodite frowned.

_**But it didn't do much to break the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.**_

_**Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring. Piper felt a pang of jealousy. It should have been her next to him, comforting him.**_

_**Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent, as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt—a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead onstage.**_

"She's very astute at reading people." Athena commented, surprised.

"Of course she is. She's my daughter." Aphrodite flipped her shoulder length hair over her shoulder before continuing.

"_**Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."**_

_**The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh … were you calling roll?"**_

"_**Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, and a lot of people laughed.**_

"That was mean." Maria said.

"_**Anyway," Rachel continued, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."**_

"Titans?" asked Frederick.

"Yes. That happened last year. You shall see what happens now." Athena said.

"_**Or worse," Chiron murmured.**_

_**Maybe he didn't mean everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple, the same color as Piper's dream.**_

Tristan shivered at the reminder. "Wait? How come I don't remember this?"

Aphrodite sighed. "Honestly, I wiped your memories. I didn't know if you could handle hearing that Greek gods existed. I thought it would be too much and I was right. When you found out, you went into shock. I gave Piper a vial to wipe away recent memories. I believe this was around the time that you had all that fame for disappearing. People thought that you were gonna play an amnesiac for your next movie."

"Ah." Tristan said. He vaguely remembered that.

"_**What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."**_

_**Shocked silence. Then fifty demigods started talking at once.**_

_**Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention.**_

_**She told them about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk—how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods.**_

_**Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin. Piper tried to keep a calm expression, even when she noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends giggling. **_

Tristan scowled.

_**Finally Rachel told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House. The message Hera had delivered there was so similar that Piper got a chill. The only difference: Hera had warned Piper not to betray her: Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. Hera knew about the giant's threat. But if that was true, why hadn't she warned Jason, and exposed Piper as an enemy agent?**_

"_**Jason," Rachel said. "Um … do you remember your last name?"**_

"No." Hermes answered.

_**He looked self-conscious, but he shook his head.**_

"_**We'll just call you Jason, then," Rachel said. "It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest."**_

_**Rachel paused, as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, Piper thought she would've buckled in his position. Yet he looked brave and determined. He set his jaw and nodded. "I agree."**_

"_**You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel continued. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."**_

"_**That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone,**_

Hera huffed. "You should notice I'm gone."

_**they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."**_

The gods flinched. Again, is that really how the demigods saw them?

"_**The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things … stir."**_

_**The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister—like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered. Apollo conjured up some cookies. He shared with Hermes.

"_**Okay," Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—"**_

"_**Why hasn't he been claimed?" somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. "If he's so important—"**_

"_**He has been claimed," Chiron announced. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."**_

_**At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, but Piper couldn't help thinking how amazing he looked with his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statue's.**_

_**He glanced at Piper, and she nodded encouragingly. She mimicked flipping a coin.**_

_**Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance—a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.**_

_**The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.**_

"_**Wasn't that …" Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."**_

"_**Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."**_

"Cool." Apollo murmured.

"_**Dude, I want one!" yelled somebody from Ares cabin.**_

"_**Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.**_

"_**Electric," Jason murmured, like that was a good idea. "Back away."**_

_**Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on Piper's arms stood straight up. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.**_

"A little overkill." Poseidon said.

Zeus smiled.

_**When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in Piper's ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred.**_

"Wow." said Apollo. "Dude, we should've recorded that."

Hermes agreed.

_**Jason lowered his lance. "Um … sorry."**_

_**Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as if his worst fears had been confirmed. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."**_

"_**Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."**_

Zeus beamed.

Aphrodite groaned. "Don't make me read this. His head will explode." She gestured to Zeus.

Artemis looked over and grimaced. "Yeah, please don't."

Zeus frowned. "Aphrodite, read."

_**Piper couldn't help smiling. It made perfect sense. The most powerful god, the father of all the greatest heroes in the ancient myths—no one else could possibly be Jason's dad.**_

She read unwillingly.

Zeus beamed.

The other gods groaned.

"No he has an even bigger head." Hera muttered.

_**Apparently, the rest of the camp wasn't so sure. Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms.**_

"_**Hold it!" she said. "How can he be the son of Zeus?**_

"You see, Annabeth," Hermes started but was drowned out by Aphrodite reading.

_**The Big Three … their pact not to have mortal kids … how could we not have known about him sooner?"**_

"Well, there's this other camp-"

"Hermes!" Yelled Aphrodite. "Now I see what Athena meant. You are annoying."

"Thanks for the complement." Hermes said, grinning.

Aphrodite sighed, shook her head and went back to the book.

_**Chiron didn't answer, but Piper got the feeling he knew. And the truth was not good.**_

"_**The important thing," Rachel said, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy."**_

_**She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they'd been trained for this duty. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk:**_

Apollo cheered.

"_**Child of lightning, beware the earth, The giants' revenge the seven shall birth, The forge and dove shall break the cage, And death unleash through Hera's rage."**_

Beryl, Tristan, and Esperanza grew pale.

"Please tell me Leo doesn't go on this quest." She begged.

The gods didn't look at her.

"Oh, my. I'm gonna get grey hairs from this, aren't I?" She started muttering in Spanish.

_**On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.**_

"_**Is that normal?" Piper asked. Then she realized she'd spoken into the silence, and everyone was looking at her. "I mean… does she spew green smoke a lot?"**_

"_**Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a prophecy—Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just—"**_

"Aphrodite, you better do something about that girl." Artemis growled. "Even for a girl she's mean."

Aphrodite nodded.

"_**Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper asked a fair question. Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death … why would we free her? It might be a trap, or—or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."**_

_**Jason rose. "I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."**_

_**A girl from Hephaestus cabin stood up—Nyssa, the one with the red bandanna. "Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son—our dad—down a mountain just because he was ugly."**_

"_**Real ugly," snickered someone from Aphrodite.**_

Aphrodite frowned. Looks like she will have to have a talk with her children again.

Hephaestus looked down. Ares patted his arm. "You're alright."

"_**Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think —why beware the earth? And what's the giants' revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"**_

_**No one answered, but Piper noticed Annabeth and Chiron having a silent exchange. Piper thought it went something like:**_

_**Annabeth: The giants' revenge … no, it can't be.**_

_**Chiron: Don't speak of it here. Don't scare them.**_

_**Annabeth: You're kidding me! We can't be that unlucky.**_

_**Chiron: Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.**_

"Very astute." Athena said.

Aphrodite smiled as she read.

_**Piper knew it was crazy to think she could read their expressions so well—two people she barely knew. But she was absolutely positive she understood them, and it scared the jujubes out of her.**_

_**Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest," she announced, "so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions."**_

_**Someone from the Hermes cabin yelled, "Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."**_

"_**No, Travis," **_

Hermes smiled.

_**Annabeth said. "First off, I'm not helping Hera. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Percy."**_

"_**It's connected," Piper blurted out, not sure how she got the courage. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance—it's all connected."**_

"Very good." Athena murmured.

"_**How?" demanded Drew. "If you're so smart, how?"**_

_**Piper tried to form an answer, but she couldn't.**_

_**Annabeth saved her. "You may be right, Piper. If this is connected, I'll find out from the other end—by searching for Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of the Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go. The prophecy says otherwise."**_

"_**It says who I pick," Jason agreed. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul—Hephaestus."**_

_**Under the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa's shoulders slumped, like she'd just been given a heavy anvil to carry.**_

"Poor girl." Esperanza said.

"_**If you have to beware the earth," she said, "you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport."**_

_**Piper was about to call out that Jason could fly.**_

"Yeah, but I doubt he's strong enough to carry two demigods cross-country." Emily said.

_**But then she thought better of it. That was for Jason to tell them, and he wasn't volunteering the information. Maybe he figured he'd freaked them out enough for one night.**_

"_**The flying chariot's broken," Nyssa continued, "and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."**_

_**She didn't sound enthusiastic.**_

_**Then Leo stood up.**_

"No. _Mijo._" Esperanza whispered.

_**He'd been so quiet, Piper had almost forgotten he was there, which was totally not like Leo.**_

"_**It's me," he said.**_

_**His cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted.**_

"_**No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"**_

_**Jason studied him for a moment. Piper was sure he was going to tell Leo no. Then he smiled. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."**_

"How are they going to . . . the dragon." Frederick said. "He's gonna fix the dragon."

Esperanza paled.

"_**Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.**_

"_**It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."**_

"_**Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean … Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."**_

Esperanza looked resigned.

_**Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member. The dove—"**_

"_**Oh, absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours."**_

_**Piper's hands clenched. She stepped forward. "No."**_

_**Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off."**_

Tristan scowled. "I really hope she drops that name."

"_**I had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."**_

"_**Anyone can have a vision," Drew said. "You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things …" She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."**_

_**The campers started murmuring about how Drew was pretty persuasive.**_

Aphrodite sighed. She made a mistake in giving Drew Charmspeak. Maybe she should take it away for a few years?

_**Piper could see Drew winning them over. Even Chiron was scratching his beard, like Drew's participation suddenly made sense to him.**_

"What is she doing? Is this where we learn what Piper's so called power is?" Tristan asked.

"Not quite." Aphrodite said smiling.

"_**Well …" Annabeth said. "Given the wording of the prophecy—"**_

"_**No!" Piper's own voice sounded strange in her ears—more insistent, richer in tone. "I'm supposed to go."**_

_**Then the weirdest thing happened. Everyone started nodding, muttering that hmm, Piper's point of view made sense too. Drew looked around, incredulous. Even some of her own campers were nodding.**_

"Wait, Piper has it too?" Apollo asked.

Aphrodite nodded.

"Sorry man, Piper's not a legit thief." Apollo said to Hermes.

Hermes deflated, then perked up again. "That's okay, she can be used for other aspects of stealing. Like when we get caught she can convince them to-"

"HERMES!" Aphrodite yelled. "You are not using my daughter for you illegal acts." Her eyes were raging.

"Ok." He yelped. "Sorry."

"_**Get over it!" Drew snapped at the crowd. "What can Piper do?"**_

_**Piper tried to respond, but her confidence started to wane. What could she offer? She wasn't a fighter, or a planner, or a fixer. She had no skills except getting into trouble and occasionally convincing people to do stupid things.**_

_**Plus, she was a liar. She needed to go on this quest for reasons that went way beyond Jason—and if she did go, she'd end up betraying everyone there. She heard that voice from the dream: Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. How could she make a choice like that—between helping her father and helping Jason?**_

"_**Well," Drew said smugly, "I guess that settles it."**_

_**Suddenly there was collective gasp. Everyone stared at Piper like she'd just exploded. She wondered what she'd done wrong. Then she realized there was a reddish glow around her.**_

"What's happening to her?" Tristan asked panicked.

"She is being claimed." Athena explained. "Some of us just do our symbol over their heads but Aphrodite and Demeter do it different. Aphrodite gives her kids makeovers to claim them. Demeter makes plants bloom all around them."

"_**What?" she demanded.**_

_**She looked above her, but there was no burning symbol like the one that appeared over Leo. Then she looked down and yelped.**_

_**Her clothes … what in the world was she wearing? She despised dresses. She didn't own a dress. But now she was adorned in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles, with a V-neck so low it was totally embarrassing. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest, and her hair …**_

"_**Oh, god," she said. "What's happened?"**_

_**A stunned Annabeth pointed at Piper's dagger, which was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at her side on a golden cord. Piper didn't want to draw it. She was afraid of what she would see. But her curiosity won out. She unsheathed Katoptris and stared at her reflection in the polished metal blade. Her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side so it fell across her shoulder. She even wore makeup, better than Piper would ever know how to do herself—subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all the different colors in her eyes.**_

Aphrodite beamed as she read this. "Isn't she just beautiful." She gushed.

_**She was...she was...**_

"_**Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you … you're a knockout."**_

Tristan scowled. If that boy was only around her for her beauty, then he was going to kill him, demigod or not. No one objectifies his baby girl like that.

_**Under different circumstances, that would've been the happiest moment of her life. But now everyone was staring at her like she was a freak. Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion. "No!" she cried. "Not possible!"**_

"_**This isn't me," Piper protested. "I—don't understand."**_

_**Chiron the centaur folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example.**_

"_**Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at her funeral. "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."**_

"Done." Aphrodite squealed. Her daughter's claiming was epic. "Who's next?"

"I'll read." Emily said.

Aphrodite gave the book to Emily.

* * *

**_Addy_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**I don't own the bold print, or any of it really. Enjoy**_

* * *

_**LEO DIDN'T STICK AROUND AFTER PIPER turned beautiful. Sure, it was amazing and all—She's got makeup! It's a miracle! —but Leo had problems to deal with. He ducked out of the amphitheater and ran into the darkness, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.**_

_**He'd stood up in front of a bunch of stronger, braver demigods and volunteered—volunteered—for a mission that would probably get him killed.**_

_**He hadn't mentioned seeing Tía Callida, his old babysitter, but as soon as he'd heard about Jason's vision—the lady in the black dress and shawl—Leo knew it was the same woman. Tía Callida was Hera. His evil babysitter was the queen of the gods. Stuff like that could really deep-fry your brain.**_

Hephaestus growled at his mother. "I don't appreciate you doing that. The boy was fine without your interference."

Hera sniffed. "He needed me."

_**He trudged toward the woods and tried not to think about his childhood—all the messed-up things that had led to his mother's death. But he couldn't help it.**_

Esperanza let out a strangled sob. "We really have to read this?"

The gods solemnly nodded.

She steeled her resolve to not die this time. She can not do whatever it was that killed her. She will live. Besides, reading how she died will help.

The gods gave her a moment.

"I good. We can read." Esperanza said.

_**The first time Tía Callida tried to kill him, he must've been about two. Tía Callida was looking after him while his mother was at the machine shop. She wasn't really his aunt, of course—just one of the old women in the community, a generic tía who helped watch the kids. She smelled like a honey-baked ham, **_

"You know technically ham is a pigs butt." Apollo whispered to Hermes.

Hermes turned red trying to hold in his laughter but he couldn't do it. He busted up laughing.

"What's so funny?" Hera asked.

Hermes shook his head. He couldn't get it out. He just pointed to Apollo.

"What did you do?" Artemis asked him suspiciously.

"All I did was point out that ham is a pigs butt and he ended up like that." He said in an innocent voice.

There was a burst of laughter while Hera glared.

"APOLLO!" She yelled.

Apollo smirked. He knew there would be retribution but the actions now was funny. It would be worth it.

After five minutes of straight out laughing. Everyone calmed down.

_**and always wore a widow's dress with a black shawl.**_

"_**Let's set you down for a nap," she said. "Let's see if you are my brave little hero, eh?"**_

_**Leo was sleepy. She nestled him into his blankets in a warm mound of red and yellow—pillows? The bed was like a cubbyhole in the wall, made of blackened bricks, with a metal slot over his head and a square hole far above, where he could see the stars.**_

Everyone gasped.

"You put him in the fireplace!?" Were many shouts around the room.

"He's fireproof." Was her defense.

_**He remembered resting comfortably, grabbing at sparks like fireflies. He dozed, and dreamed of a boat made of fire, sailing through the cinders. He imagined himself on board, navigating the sky. Somewhere nearby, Tía Callida sat in her rocking chair—creak, creak, creak—and sang a lullaby. Even at two, Leo knew the difference between English and Spanish, and he remembered being puzzled because Tía Callida was singing in a language that was neither.**_

_**Everything was fine until his mother came home. She screamed and raced over to snatch him up, yelling at Tía Callida, "How could you?" But the old lady had disappeared.**_

"This is where I came from. I had just put him down in his crib." Esperanza said softly.

_**Leo remembered looking over his mother's shoulder at the flames curling around his blankets. Only years later had he realized he'd been sleeping in a blazing fireplace.**_

Mutters of rage and death threats was sent towards Hera.

_**The weirdest thing? Tía Callida hadn't been arrested or even banished from their house. She appeared again several times over the next few years. Once when Leo was three, she let him play with knives.**_

"That's it. You are banned from my house. I don't care if I have to summon other help. I refuse for you to watch my son ever again." Esperanza said, not even caring that she was talking to a goddess that way.

"I will help." Came from Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Athena, Ares and Hephaestus.

"Thank you." Esperanza glared at Hera.

"_**You must learn your blades early," she insisted, "if you are to be my hero someday." Leo managed not to kill himself, but he got the feeling Tía Callida wouldn't have cared one way or the other.**_

_**When Leo was four, Tía found a rattlesnake for him in a nearby cow pasture. She gave him a stick and encouraged him to poke the animal.**_

Esperanza snarled, spitting mad.

"_**Where is your bravery, little hero? Show me the Fates were right to choose you." Leo stared down at those amber eyes, hearing the dry shh-shh-ssh of the snake's rattle. He couldn't bring himself to poke the snake. It didn't seem fair. Apparently the snake felt the same way about biting a little kid. Leo could've sworn it looked at Tía Callida like, Are you nuts, lady? Then it disappeared into the tall grass.**_

_**The last time she babysat him, Leo was five. She brought him a pack of crayons and a pad of paper. They sat together at the picnic table in back of the apartment complex, under an old pecan tree. While Tía Callida sang her strange songs, Leo drew a picture of the boat he'd seen in the flames, with colorful sails and rows of oars, a curved stern, and an awesome masthead.**_

"What is it about this boat? It seems important." Frederick mused.

_**When he was almost done, about to sign his name the way he'd learned in kindergarten, a wind snatched the picture away. It flew into the sky and disappeared.**_

_**Leo wanted to cry. He'd spent so much time on that picture—but Tía Callida just clucked with disappointment.**_

"_**It isn't time yet, little hero. Someday, you'll have your quest. You'll find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense. But first you must face many sorrows. I regret that, but heroes cannot be shaped any other way. Now, make me a fire, eh? Warm these old bones."**_

_**A few minutes later, Leo's mom came out and shrieked with horror. Tía Callida was gone, but Leo sat in the middle of a smoking fire. The pad of paper was reduced to ashes. Crayons had melted into a bubbling puddle of multicolored goo, and Leo's hands were ablaze, slowly burning through the picnic table. For years afterward, people in the apartment complex would wonder how someone had seared the impressions of a five-year-old's hands an inch deep into solid wood.**_

"Wow. That must've been some hot fire. An inch thick. It would need to be about . . ." Athena mumbled.

"Ignore her." The gods chorused.

_**Now Leo was sure that Tía Callida, his psychotic babysitter, had been Hera all along. That made her, what—his godly grandmother? His family was even more messed up than he realized.**_

_**He wondered if his mother had known the truth. Leo remembered after that last visit, his mom took him inside and had a long talk with him, but he only understood some of it.**_

"_**She can't come back again." His mom had a beautiful face with kind eyes, and curly dark hair, but she looked older than she was because of hard work. The lines around her eyes were deeply etched. Her hands were callused. She was the first person from their family to graduate from college. She had a degree in mechanical engineering and could design anything, fix anything, build anything.**_

_**No one would hire her. No company would take her seriously,**_

"If you would like my help, I can help you." offered Athena suddenly. "Some of my demigods kids have teamed up with Hephaestus' kids and have started a company. I can suggest you, but they will ultimately have to decide. You have to prove your work, but I think you have a high chance. You did, after all, attract him." Athena pointed at Hephaestus.

"Thanks, Lady Athena. I accept." Esperanza said gratefully. Her anger forgotten for a moment.

_**so she ended up in the machine shop, trying to make enough money to support the two of them. She always smelled of machine oil, and when she talked with Leo, she switched from Spanish to English constantly—using them like complementary tools. It took Leo years to realize that not everyone spoke that way. She'd even taught him Morse code as a kind of game, so they could tap messages to each other when they were in different rooms: I love you. You okay? Simple things like that.**_

"You are a great mother." Queen Marie said softly. If only she had treated Hazel differently.

"Thank you." Esperanza said.

"_**I don't care what Callida says," his mom told him. "I don't care about destiny and the Fates. You're too young for that. You're still my baby."**_

_**She took his hands, looking for burn marks, but of course there weren't any. "Leo, listen to me. Fire is a tool, like anything else, but it's more dangerous than most. You don't know your limits. Please, promise me—no more fire until you meet your father. Someday, mijo, you will meet him. He'll explain everything."**_

Esperanza smiled.

_**Leo had heard that since he could remember. Someday he would meet his dad. His mom wouldn't answer any questions about him. Leo had never met him, never even seen pictures, but she talked like he'd just gone to the store for some milk and he'd be back any minute.**_

Apollo snorted.

_**Leo tried to believe her. Someday, everything would make sense.**_

_**For the next couple of years, they were happy. Leo almost forgot about Tía Callida. He still dreamed of the flying boat, but the other strange events seemed like a dream too.**_

_**It all came apart when he was eight.**_

Esperanza made a note of that.

_**By then, he was spending every free hour at the shop with his mom. He knew how to use the machines. He could measure and do math better than most adults. He'd learned to think three-dimensionally, solving mechanical problems in his head the way his mom did.**_

Esperanza and Hephaestus smiled.

_**One night, they stayed late because his mom was finishing a drill bit design she hoped to patent. If she could sell the prototype, it might change their lives. She'd finally get a break.**_

_**As she worked, Leo passed her supplies and told her corny jokes, trying to keep her spirits up. He loved it when he could make her laugh. She'd smile and say, "Your father would be proud of you, mijo. You'll meet him soon, I'm sure."**_

_**Mom's workspace was at the very back of the shop. It was kind of creepy at night, because they were the only ones there. Every sound echoed through the dark warehouse, but Leo didn't mind as long as he was with his mom. If he did wander the shop, they could always keep in touch with Morse code taps. Whenever they were ready to leave, they had to walk through the entire shop, through the break room, and out to the parking lot, locking the doors behind them.**_

_**That night after finishing up, they'd just gotten to the break room when his mom realized she didn't have her keys.**_

Esperanza made that strangled sound again.

"_**That's funny." She frowned. "I know I had them. Wait here, mijo. I'll only be a minute."**_

_**She gave him one more smile—the last one he'd ever get —and she went back into the warehouse.**_

Esperanza started to cry.

_**She'd only been gone a few heartbeats when the interior door slammed shut. Then the exterior door locked itself.**_

"_**Mom?" Leo's heart pounded. Something heavy crashed inside the warehouse. He ran to the door, but no matter how hard he pulled or kicked, it wouldn't open. "Mom!" Frantically, he tapped a message on the wall: You okay?**_

"_**She can't hear you," a voice said.**_

_**Leo turned and found himself facing a strange woman. At first he thought it was Tía Callida.**_

Esperanza turned to glare at Hera when she said, "It wasn't me. I would never separate a mother and child like that."

Beryl snorted. "Yeah, but you would do it to Jason?"

"That's different." Hera said stubbornly.

"How? Because he is-" Beryl started.

"Because you were an unfit mother! I looked into what you would be like! Loving the bottle more than you kids! You would've ended up abusing Jason! So I took him and gave him over to Lupa. I put the idea in Thalia's head to run away. Because I knew that if you continued with them, if you didn't know what it is like to live without them, you would've destroyed them." Hera yelled.

Beryl sobbed.

"I don't know where the world got the idea that I hate all of Zeus' kids. The only ones I punished was Heracles because he was a jerk. And maybe a few others, but they all either had it coming for being terrible to women or others. And that statute was aimed at Annabeth, not Thalia." Hera said.

The gods nodded in agreement.

When it was silent for a while, Emily looked down at the book and started to read.

_**She was wrapped in black robes, with a veil covering her face.**_

"_**Tía?" he said.**_

_**The woman chuckled, a slow gentle sound, as if she were half asleep.**_

The gods shivered.

Queen Marie looked suspicious.

"_**I am not your guardian. Merely a family resemblance."**_

The gods snorted.

"_**What—what do you want? Where's my mom?"**_

"_**Ah … loyal to your mother. How nice. But you see, I have children too … and I understand you will fight them someday. When they try to wake me, you will prevent them. I cannot allow that."**_

"_**I don't know you. I don't want to fight anybody."**_

_**She muttered like a sleepwalker in a trance, "A wise choice."**_

_**With a chill, Leo realized the woman was, in fact, asleep. Behind the veil, her eyes were closed. But even stranger: her clothes were not made of cloth. They were made of earth—dry black dirt, churning and shifting around her. Her pale, sleeping face was barely visible behind a curtain of dust, and he had the horrible sense that she'd had just risen from the grave.**_

Queen Marie gasped. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" asked Esperanza. "I don't believe we've met before."

"If I'm right, if that's really _**her**_, then I might be the reason she is awake so early. And for that I'm sorry. I didn't know she would do this. So many people died, because of me." Queen Marie sobbed.

"What are you talking about? Who is that?" asked a frustrated Frederick.

"That's-" Queen Marie started but closed her mouth when Hades waved his hand.

"It wasn't your fault. She would have woken in another way." Hades said to Queen Marie. To Frederick he said, "Have patience mortal, you will find out in the second book for sure."

Emily saw that he was looking at her and she continued to read.

_**If the woman was asleep, Leo wanted her to stay that way. He knew that fully awake, she would be even more terrible.**_

"_**I cannot destroy you yet," the woman murmured. "The Fates will not allow it. But they not do protect your mother, and they cannot stop me from breaking your spirit. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you to oppose me."**_

"_**Leave my mother alone!" Fear rose in his throat as the woman shuffled forward. She moved more like an avalanche than a person, a dark wall of earth shifting toward him.**_

"_**How will you stop me?" she whispered.**_

_**She walked straight through a table, the particles of her body reassembling on the other side.**_

_**She loomed over Leo, and he knew she would pass right through him, too. He was the only thing between her and his mother.**_

_**His hands caught fire.**_

_**A sleepy smile spread across the woman's face, as if she'd already won. Leo screamed with desperation. His vision turned red. Flames washed over the earthen woman, the walls, the locked doors. And Leo lost consciousness.**_

Esperanza sobbed. "My poor _Mijo_."

_**When he woke, he was in an ambulance.**_

_**The paramedic tried to be kind. She told him the warehouse had burned down. His mother hadn't made it out. The paramedic said she was sorry, but Leo felt hollow. He'd lost control, just like his mother had warned. Her death was his fault.**_

"No. No, _Mijo, _don't blame yourself. It's not your fault." Esperanza said desperately.

_**Soon the police came to get him, and they weren't as nice. The fire had started in the break room, they said, right where Leo was standing. He'd survived by some miracle, but what kind of child locked the doors of his mother's workplace, knowing she was inside, and started a fire?**_

Esperanza grew livid. "How dare they accuse my son."

_**Later, his neighbors at the apartment complex told the police what a strange boy he was. They talked about the burned handprints on the picnic table. They'd always known something was wrong with Esperanza Valdez's son.**_

Esperanza growled. "_Stupid neighbors."_ She muttered in Spanish.

_**His relatives wouldn't take him in. His Aunt Rosa called him a diablo and shouted at the social workers to take him away.**_

Esperanza was furious. "Rosa was always a-" She continued muttering.

_**So Leo went to his first foster home. A few days later, he ran away. Some foster homes lasted longer than others. He would joke around, make a few friends, pretend that nothing bothered him, but he always ended up running sooner or later. It was the only thing that made the pain better—feeling like he was moving, getting farther and farther away from the ashes of that machine shop.**_

Esperanza deflated.

_**He'd promised himself he would never play with fire again. He hadn't thought about Tía Callida, or the sleeping woman wrapped in earthen robes, for a long time.**_

_**He was almost to the woods when he imagined Tía Callida's voice: It wasn't your fault, little hero. Our enemy wakes. It's time to stop running.**_

"_**Hera," Leo muttered, "you're not even here, are you? You're in a cage somewhere."**_

_**There was no answer.**_

_**But now, at least, Leo understood something. Hera had been watching him his entire life. Somehow, she'd known that one day she would need him. Maybe those Fates she mentioned could tell the future.**_

Apollo snorted. "How about they create the future?" He suggested.

_**Leo wasn't sure. But he knew he was meant to go on this quest. Jason's prophecy warned them to beware the earth, and Leo knew it had something to do with that sleeping woman in the shop, wrapped in robes of shifting dirt.**_

_**You'll find your destiny, Tía Callida had promised, and your hard journey will finally make sense.**_

_**Leo might find out what that flying boat in his dreams meant. He might meet his father, or even get to avenge his mother's death.**_

_**But first things first. He'd promised Jason a flying ride.**_

_**Not the boat from his dreams—not yet. There wasn't time to build something that complicated. He needed a quicker solution. He needed a dragon.**_

"Called it." Frederick said.

_**He hesitated at the edge of the woods, peering into absolute blackness. Owls hooted, and something far away hissed like a chorus of snakes.**_

_**Leo remembered what Will Solace had told him: No one should go in the woods alone, definitely not unarmed. Leo had nothing—no sword, no flashlight, no help.**_

"Listen to Will." Esperanza pleaded in vain.

_**He glanced back at the lights of the cabins. He could turn around now and tell everyone he'd been joking. Psych! Nyssa could go on the quest instead. He could stay at camp and learn to be part of the Hephaestus cabin, but he wondered how long it would be before he looked like his bunkmates—sad, dejected, convinced of his own bad luck.**_

_**They cannot stop me from breaking your spirit, the sleeping woman had said. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you to oppose me.**_

"_**Believe me, lady," Leo muttered, "I remember. And whoever you are, I'm gonna face-plant you hard, Leo-style."**_

_**He took a deep breath and plunged into the forest.**_

"Done." Emily said.

"I'll read." Maria offered.

Emily passed her the book.

"_**Chapter 12 Leo"**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**I don't own any of this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**THE WOODS WEREN'T LIKE ANYPLACE he'd been before. Leo had been raised in a north Houston apartment complex. The wildest things he'd ever seen were that rattlesnake in the cow pasture and his Aunt Rosa in her nightgown,**_

Esperanza snorted.

_**until he was sent to Wilderness School.**_

_**Even there, the school had been in the desert. No trees with gnarled roots to trip over. No streams to fall into. No branches casting dark, creepy shadows and owls looking down at him with their big reflective eyes. This was the Twilight Zone.**_

"I liked that show." Dionysus said.

"So we have Artemis as a Whovian, Apollo as a Trekkie, Hermes as a Star Wars fan, Dionysus as a Twilight Zone fan, Who else?" asked Ares.

"I like Sherlock." Athena offered.

"I like Mythbusters." Hephaestus said.

"I like Vampire Diaries." Aphrodite chimed in.

"I was joking." Ares said, shocked.

Maria sensed the tension brewing and read the book.

_**He stumbled along until he was sure no one back at the cabins could possibly see him. Then he summoned fire. Flames danced along his fingertips, casting enough light to see. He hadn't tried to keep a sustained burn going since he was five, at that picnic table. Since his mom's death, he'd been too afraid to try anything. Even this tiny fire made him feel guilty.**_

_**He kept walking, looking for dragon-type clues—giant footprints, trampled trees, swaths of burning forest. Something that big couldn't exactly sneak around, right? But he saw nada. Once he glimpsed a large, furry shape like a wolf or a bear, but it stayed away from his fire, which was fine by Leo.**_

_**Then, at the bottom of a clearing, he saw the first trap—a hundred-foot-wide crater ringed with boulders.**_

"Impressive." Frederick said.

_**Leo had to admit it was pretty ingenious. In the center of the depression, a metal vat the size of a hot tub had been filled with bubbly dark liquid—Tabasco sauce and motor oil. On a pedestal suspended over the vat, an electric fan rotated in a circle, spreading the fumes across the forest. Could metal dragons smell?**_

"Some of them." Hephaestus said. "That one can."

_**The vat seemed to be unguarded. But Leo looked closely, and in the dim light of the stars and his handheld fire, he could see the glint of metal beneath the dirt and leaves—a bronze net lining the entire crater. Or maybe see wasn't the right word—he could sense it there, as if the mechanism was emitting heat, revealing itself to him. Six large strips of bronze stretched out from the vat like the spokes of a wheel. They would be pressure sensitive, Leo guessed. As soon as the dragon stepped on one, the net would spring closed, and voilà—one gift-wrapped monster.**_

Everyone snorted.

_**Leo edged closer. He put his foot on the nearest trigger strip. As he expected, nothing happened. They had to have set the net for something really heavy. Otherwise they could catch an animal, human, smaller monster, whatever. He doubted there was anything else as heavy as a metal dragon in these woods. At least, he hoped there wasn't.**_

The mortals hoped so, too.

_**He picked his way down the crater and approached the vat. The fumes were almost overpowering, and his eyes started watering. He remembered a time when Tía Callida (Hera, whatever) had made him chop jalapeños in the kitchen and he'd gotten the juice in his eyes. Serious pain. But of course she'd been like, "Endure it, little hero. The Aztecs of your mother's homeland used to punish bad children by holding them over a fire filled with chili peppers. They raised many heroes that way."**_

Esperanza growled.

_**A total psycho, that lady.**_

Esperanza busted up laughing with everyone else.

_**Leo was so glad he was on a quest to rescue her.**_

_**Tía Callida would've loved this vat, because it was way worse than jalapeño juice. Leo looked for a trigger—something that would disable the net. He didn't see anything.**_

_**He had a moment of panic. Nyssa had said there were several traps like this in the woods, and they were planning more. What if the dragon had already stepped into another one? How could Leo possibly find them all?**_

_**He continued to search, but he didn't see any release mechanism. No large button labeled off. It occurred to him that there might not be one. He started to despair—and then he heard the sound.**_

Esperanza gulped.

_**It was more of a tremor—the deep sort of rumbling you hear in your gut rather than your ears. It gave him the jitters, but he didn't look around for the source. He just kept examining the trap, thinking, Must be a long way off. It's pounding its way through the woods. I gotta hurry.**_

_**Then he heard a grinding snort, like steam forced out of a metal barrel.**_

_**His neck tingled. He turned slowly. At the edge of the pit, fifty feet away, two glowing red eyes were staring at him. The creature gleamed in the moonlight, and Leo couldn't believe something that huge had sneaked up on him so fast. Too late, he realized its gaze was fixed on the fire in his hand, and he extinguished the flames.**_

"Oh, boy." Esperanza whispered.

_**He could still see the dragon just fine. It was about sixty feet long, snout to tail, its body made of interlocking bronze plates. Its claws were the size of butcher knives, and its mouth was lined with hundreds of dagger-sharp metal teeth. Steam came out of its nostrils. It snarled like a chain saw cutting through a tree. It could've bitten Leo in half, easy, or stomped him flat. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, except for one problem that completely ruined Leo's plan.**_

"_**You don't have wings," Leo said.**_

_**The dragon's snarl died. It tilted its head as if to say, Why aren't you running away in terror?**_

"Leo can speak machine?" asked Emily.

"All my kids can." Hephaestus answered her.

"_**Hey, no offense," Leo said. "You're amazing! Good god, who made you? Are you hydraulic or nuclear-powered or what? But if it was me, I would've put wings on you. What kind of dragon doesn't have wings? I guess maybe you're too heavy to fly? I should've thought of that."**_

_**The dragon snorted, more confused now. It was supposed to trample Leo. This conversation thing wasn't part of the plan. It took a step forward, and Leo shouted, "No!"**_

_**The dragon snarled again.**_

"_**It's a trap, bronze brain," Leo said. "They're trying to catch you."**_

"Maybe insulting the dragon isn't the best choice." Esperanza said.

_**The dragon opened its mouth and blew fire. A column of white-hot flames billowed over Leo, more than he'd ever tried to endure before. He felt as if he were being hosed down with a powerful, very hot fire hose. It stung a little, but he stood his ground. When the flames died, he was perfectly fine. Even his clothes were okay, which Leo didn't understand, but for which he was grateful. He liked his army jacket, and having his pants seared off would've been pretty embarrassing.**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

_**The dragon stared at Leo. Its face didn't actually change, being made of metal and all, but Leo thought he could read its expression: Why no crispy critter? A spark flew out of its neck like it was about to short-circuit.**_

"_**You can't burn me," Leo said, trying to sound stern and calm. He'd never had a dog before, but he talked to the dragon the way he thought you'd talk to a dog. "Stay, boy. Don't come any closer. I don't want you to get caught. See, they think you're broken and have to be scrapped. But I don't believe that. I can fix you if you'll let me—"**_

_**The dragon creaked, roared, and charged. The trap sprang.**_

Esperanza gasped.

_**The floor of the crater erupted with a sound like a thousand trash can lids banging together. Dirt and leaves flew, metal net flashing. Leo was knocked off his feet, turned upside down, and doused in Tabasco sauce and oil. He found himself sandwiched between the vat and the dragon as it thrashed, trying to free itself from the net that had wrapped around them both.**_

_**The dragon blew flames in every direction, lighting up the sky and setting trees on fire. Oil and sauce burned all over them. It didn't hurt Leo, but it left a nasty taste in his mouth.**_

"_**Will you stop that!" he yelled.**_

_**The dragon kept squirming. Leo realized he would get crushed if he didn't move.**_

"Then move." Esperanza said.

_**It wasn't easy, but he managed to wriggle out from between the dragon and the vat. He squirmed his way through the net. Fortunately the holes were plenty big enough for a skinny kid.**_

_**He ran to the dragon's head. It tried to snap at him, but its teeth were tangled in the mesh. It blew fire again, but seemed to be running out of energy. This time the flames were only orange. They sputtered before they even reached Leo's face.**_

"_**Listen, man," Leo said, "you're just going to show them where you are. Then they'll come and break out the acid and the metal cutters. Is that what you want?"**_

_**The dragon's jaw made a creaking sound, like it was trying to talk.**_

"_**Okay, then," Leo said. "You'll have to trust me."**_

_**And Leo set to work.**_

Esperanza sighed in relief.

_**It took him almost an hour to find the control panel. It was right behind the dragon's head, which made sense. He'd elected to keep the dragon in the net, because it was easier to work with the dragon constrained, but the dragon didn't like it.**_

"_**Hold still!" Leo scolded.**_

_**The dragon made another creaking sound that might've been a whimper.**_

_**Leo examined the wires inside the dragon's head. He was distracted by a sound in the woods, but when he looked up it was just a tree spirit—a dryad, Leo thought they were called—putting out the flames in her branches.**_

Apollo and Hermes winced.

"Oh, that's not good. Remember that one time-" Apollo started.

"Hey, we said we'd never speak of it again." Hermes warned.

"Oh, right." Apollo said.

They both shivered and turned back to the book. They then noticed all the stares at them.

"What?" They said.

"I going to regret this, but what are you two talking about?" Athena asked. "On second thought, don't answer. I dread to think what trouble you've caused with the dryads and fire."

_**Fortunately, the dragon hadn't started an all-out forest fire, but still the dryad wasn't too pleased. The girl's dress was smoking. She smothered the flames with a silky blanket, and when she saw Leo looking at her, she made a gesture that was probably very rude in Dryad. Then she disappeared in a green poof of mist.**_

"Whew. He got off easy." Apollo said.

_**Leo returned his attention to the wiring. It was ingenious, definitely, and it made sense to him. This was the motor control relay. This processed sensory input from the eyes. This disk …**_

"_**Ha," he said. "Well, no wonder."**_

_**Creak? the dragon asked with its jaw.**_

"_**You've got a corroded control disk. Probably regulates your higher reasoning circuits, right? Rusty brain, man. No wonder you're a little … confused." He almost said crazy, but he caught himself.**_

"Yeah, don't call the big scary dragon crazy." Apollo said.

"_**I wish I had a replacement disk, but …this is a complicated piece of circuitry. I'm gonna have to take it out and clean it. Only be a minute." He pulled out the disk, and the dragon went absolutely still. The glow died in its eyes. Leo slid off its back and began polishing the disk. He mopped up some oil and Tabasco sauce with his sleeve, which helped cut through the grime, but the more he cleaned, the more concerned he got. Some of the circuits were beyond repair. He could make it better, but not perfect. For that, he'd need a completely new disk, and he had no idea how to build one.**_

"Great. They are going on a quest with a damaged dragon." Esperanza said, sarcastically.

_**He tried to work quickly. He wasn't sure how long the dragon's control disk could be off without damaging it—maybe forever—but he didn't want to take chances. Once he'd done the best he could, he climbed back up to the dragon's head and started cleaning the wiring and gearboxes, getting himself filthy in the process.**_

"_**Clean hands, dirty equipment," he muttered, something his mother used to say.**_

Now she smiled sadly.

_**By the time he was through, his hands were black with grease and his clothes looked like he'd just lost a mud-wrestling contest, but the mechanisms looked a lot better. He slipped in the disk, connected the last wire, and sparks flew. The dragon shuddered. Its eyes began to glow.**_

"_**Better?" Leo asked.**_

_**The dragon made a sound like a high-speed drill. It opened its mouth and all its teeth rotated.**_

"_**I guess that's a yes. Hold on, I'll free you."**_

"At least it's not going haywire again." Esperanza muttered.

_**Another thirty minutes to find the release clamps for the net and untangle the dragon, but finally it stood and shook the last bit of netting off its back. It roared triumphantly and shot fire at the sky.**_

"_**Seriously," Leo said. "Could you not show off?"**_

_**Creak? the dragon asked.**_

"_**You need a name," Leo decided. "I'm calling you Festus."**_

The gods flickered to Roman then back to Greek at the Latin word.

_**The dragon whirred its teeth and grinned. At least Leo hoped it was a grin.**_

"_**Cool," Leo said. "But we still have a problem, because you don't have wings."**_

_**Festus tilted his head and snorted steam. Then he lowered his back in an unmistakable gesture. He wanted Leo to climb on.**_

"_**Where we going?" Leo asked.**_

_**But he was too excited to wait for an answer. He climbed onto the dragon's back, and Festus bounded off into the woods.**_

_**Leo lost track of time and all sense of direction. It seemed impossible the woods could be so deep and wild, but the dragon traveled until the trees were like skyscrapers and the canopy of leaves completely blotted out the stars. Even the fire in Leo's hand couldn't have lit the way, but the dragon's glowing red eyes acted like headlights.**_

"Where is he going?" asked Emily.

_**Finally they crossed a stream and came to a dead end, a limestone cliff a hundred feet tall—a solid, sheer mass the dragon couldn't possibly climb.**_

"Apparently a cliff." Apollo said.

_**Festus stopped at the base and lifted one leg like a dog pointing.**_

"_**What is it?" Leo slid to the ground. He walked up to the cliff—nothing but solid rock. The dragon kept pointing.**_

"_**It's not going to move out of your way," Leo told him.**_

_**The loose wire in the dragon's neck sparked, but otherwise he stayed still. Leo put his hand on the cliff. Suddenly his fingers smoldered. Lines of fire spread from his fingertips like ignited gunpowder, sizzling across the limestone. The burning lines raced across the cliff face until they had outlined a glowing red door five times as tall as Leo. He backed up and the door swung open, disturbingly silently for such a big slab of rock.**_

"Cool." Esperanza sighed.

"_**Perfectly balanced," he muttered. "That's some first-rate engineering."**_

_**The dragon unfroze and marched inside, as if he were coming home.**_

_**Leo stepped through, and the door began to close. He had a moment of panic, remembering that night in the machine shop long ago, when he'd been locked in. What if he got stuck in here? But then lights flickered on—a combination of electric fluorescents and wall-mounted torches. When Leo saw the cavern, he forgot about leaving.**_

"_**Festus," he muttered. "What is this place?"**_

"Bunker Nine." Hephaestus said proudly.

_**The dragon stomped to the center of the room, leaving tracks in the thick dust, and curled up on a large circular platform.**_

_**The cave was the size of an airplane hangar, with endless worktables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above. Equipment was everywhere—hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air-spades, forklifts, plus something that looked suspiciously like a nuclear reaction chamber.**_

Frederick choked. "Why - Why would they need one of those?" He stuttered.

"You'll see." Athena said.

_**Bulletin boards were covered with tattered, faded blueprints. And weapons, armor, shields—war supplies all over the place, a lot of them only partially finished.**_

_**Hanging from chains far above the dragon's platform was an old tattered banner almost too faded to read. The letters were Greek, but Leo somehow knew what they said: bunker 9.**_

Hephaestus beamed.

_**Did that mean nine as in the Hephaestus cabin, or nine as in there were eight others? Leo looked at Festus, still curled up on the platform, and it occurred to him that the dragon looked so content because it was home. It had probably been built on that pad.**_

"_**Do the other kids know … ?" Leo's question died as he asked it. Clearly, this place had been abandoned for decades. Cobwebs and dust covered everything. The floor revealed no footprints except for his, and the huge paw prints of the dragon. He was the first one in this bunker since … since a long time ago. Bunker 9 had been abandoned with a lot of projects half finished on the tables. Locked up and forgotten, but why?**_

_**Leo looked at a map on the wall—a battle map of camp, but the paper was as cracked and yellow as onionskin. A date at the bottom read, 1864.**_

The gods shivered.

"That was the most bloodiest war I've ever seen." Ares said quietly.

"Wasn't that the Civil War?" asked Tristan.

Athena nodded. "Yes, but all the wars are mostly caused by demigods. World War Two was basically a war between Zeus, Poseidon and Hades' kids. The Civil War was caused by the two camps fighting each other. Romans and Greeks pitted against each other. We stepped in when it became too much and separated them. If this plan doesn't go how we hope, then we could be facing yet another Civil War." Athena explained, gravely.

The mortals gulped.

Maria nervously read on.

"_**No way," he muttered.**_

_**Then he spotted a blueprint on a nearby bulletin board, and his heart almost leaped out of his throat. He ran to the worktable and stared up at a white-line drawing almost faded beyond recognition: a Greek ship from several different angles. Faintly scrawled words underneath it read: prophecy? unclear. flight?**_

_**It was the ship he'd seen in his dreams—the flying ship.**_

"What is it with this boat?" Muttered Frederick.

_**Someone had tried to build it here, or at least sketched out the idea. Then it was left, forgotten … a prophecy yet to come. And weirdest of all, the ship's masthead was exactly like the one Leo had drawn when he was five—the head of a dragon. "Looks like you, Festus," he murmured. "That's creepy."**_

_**The masthead gave him an uneasy feeling, but Leo's mind spun with too many other questions to think about it for long. He touched the blueprint, hoping he could take it down to study, but the paper crackled at his touch, so he left it alone. He looked around for other clues. No boats. No pieces that looked like parts of this project, but there were so many doors and storerooms to explore.**_

_**Festus snorted like he was trying to get Leo's attention, reminding him they didn't have all night.**_

Beryl, Tristan and Esperanza groaned when they remembered that their kids were going on a quest.

_**It was true. Leo figured it would be morning in a few hours, and he'd gotten completely sidetracked. He'd saved the dragon, but it wasn't going to help him on the quest. He needed something that would fly.**_

_**Festus nudged something toward him—a leather tool belt that had been left next to his construction pad. Then the dragon switched on his glowing red eye beams and turned them toward the ceiling. Leo looked up to where the spotlights were pointing, and yelped when he recognized the shapes hanging above them in the darkness.**_

"_**Festus," he said in a small voice. "We've got work to do."**_

"Done." Maria said.

Queen Marie leaned over and took the book from where Maria placed it next to her. "I'll read next. "_**Chapter 13 Jason."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**I don't own this, at all.**_

* * *

_**JASON DREAMED OF WOLVES.**_

_**He stood in a clearing in the middle of a redwood forest. In front of him rose the ruins of a stone mansion.**_

Beryl shivered. She remembered that place. The place where she had to leave her son to the wolves.

_**Low gray clouds blended with the ground fog, and cold rain hung in the air. A pack of large gray beasts milled around him, brushing against his legs, snarling and baring their teeth. They gently nudged him toward the ruins.**_

_**Jason had no desire to become the world's largest dog biscuit, so he decided to do what they wanted.**_

Apollo and Hermes laughed.

_**The ground squelched under his boots as he walked. Stone spires of chimneys, no longer attached to anything, rose up like totem poles. The house must've been enormous once, multi-storied with massive log walls and a soaring gabled roof, but now nothing remained but its stone skeleton.**_

Beryl shivered again.

_**Jason passed under a crumbling doorway and found himself in a kind of courtyard.**_

_**Before him was a drained reflecting pool, long and rectangular. Jason couldn't tell how deep it was, because the bottom was filled with mist. A dirt path led all the way around, and the house's uneven walls rose on either side. Wolves paced under the archways of rough red volcanic stone.**_

_**At the far end of the pool sat a giant she-wolf, several feet taller than Jason. Her eyes glowed silver in the fog, and her coat was the same color as the rocks—warm chocolaty red.**_

Artemis laughed and switched over to her Roman form. "I would love to see the reaction on Lupa's face when she hears that Jason compares her fur to chocolate." Diana said.

Then Diana switched back over to Artemis and clutched her head. "Oh, That was painful."

"What just happened?" asked Tristan, panicked.

"That was Artemis' Roman form, Diana." Apollo said. "We tend to do that when they are mentioned or anything Roman is. Haven't you noticed? Aphrodite switched over when she read in their language. The only one's who won't change their personalities are Aphrodite and me."

"Why is that, Lord Apollo?" Sally asked.

"Well, I'm called the same in either form so it doesn't really bother me, and love is universal. Nothing really changes there. I think the only other one is Nemesis. Because, like love, revenge is also universal." Apollo explained. "I think in the second book, we will all be in our Roman forms. Makes it easier. Do you all know the Roman names for us? Don't say them aloud! Just nod or shake your head. We'll introduce you later in the second book."

Frederick, Sally, Emily, and Queen Marie nodded. Tristan, Esperanza, Beryl and Maria shook their heads.

"Ok, then. Later we'll introduce them." Apollo gestured to Queen Marie to keep reading.

Queen Marie picked up the book and began to read.

"_**I know this place," Jason said.**_

_**The wolf regarded him. She didn't exactly speak, but Jason could understand her. The movements of her ears and whiskers, the flash of her eyes, the way she curled her lips—all of these were part of her language.**_

"Now, he can also talk to wolves. Wonderful." Beryl muttered.

_**Of course, the she-wolf said. You began your journey here as a pup. Now you must find your way back. A new quest, a new start.**_

"_**That isn't fair," Jason said. But as soon as he spoke, he knew there was no point complaining to the she-wolf.**_

_**Wolves didn't feel sympathy. They never expected fairness. The wolf said: Conquer or die. This is always our way.**_

"A bit harsh for a kid, don't you think?" Tristan asked.

"They are Romans. That has always been their way." Athena said distastefully. "I sometimes think their motto is 'Harsh. It's the only way to go.'"

Apollo and Hermes cracked up. "Didn't know you could make a joke, Thena." Apollo said.

Athena's eye twitched. "Don't. Call. Me. Thena." She gritted out.

Apollo was about to comment when Hephaestus reached over and slapped something on his mouth. It was a piece of metal that grew over his face until it covered his mouth. Like a piece of metal duct tape.

"Thank you." Athena smiled happily.

After noticing all the looks, Queen Marie picked up the book.

_**Jason wanted to protest that he couldn't conquer if he didn't know who he was, or where he was supposed to go. But he knew this wolf. Her name was simply Lupa, the Mother Wolf, the greatest of her kind. Long ago she'd found him in this place, protected him, nurtured him, chosen him, but if Jason showed weakness, she would tear him to shreds.**_

"And he was two?!" asked a very shocked Tristan.

The gods nodded.

"Told you. Harsh." Athena said.

_**Rather than being her pup, he would become her dinner. In the wolf pack, weakness was not an option.**_

"_**Can you guide me?" Jason asked.**_

_**Lupa made a rumbling noise deep in her throat, and the mist in the pool dissolved.**_

_**At first Jason wasn't sure what he was seeing. At opposite ends of the pool, two dark spires had erupted from the cement floor like the drill bits of some massive tunneling machines boring through the surface.**_

Hera shivered.

_**Jason couldn't tell if the spires were made of rock or petrified vines, but they were formed of thick tendrils that came together in a point at the top.**_

"Rock." Hera whispered.

_**Each spire was about five feet tall, but they weren't identical. The one closest to Jason was darker and seemed like a solid mass, its tendrils fused together. As he watched, it pushed a little farther out of the earth and expanded a little wider.**_

Now all the gods shivered.

_**On Lupa's end of the pool, the second spire's tendrils were more open, like the bars of a cage. Inside, Jason could vaguely see a misty figure struggling, shifting within its confines.**_

"_**Hera," Jason said.**_

Hera nodded. "Yes. Me."

_**The she-wolf growled in agreement. The other wolves circled the pool, their fur standing up on their backs as they snarled at the spires.**_

_**The enemy has chosen this place to awaken her most powerful son, the giant king, Lupa said. Our sacred place, where demigods are claimed—the place of death or life. The burned house. The house of the wolf. It is an abomination. You must stop her.**_

"_**Her?" Jason was confused. "You mean, Hera?"**_

"No, Jason. Not me." Hera said quietly.

_**The she-wolf gnashed her teeth impatiently. Use your senses, pup. I care nothing for Juno,**_

Hera Switched over to Juno, flinched and shifted back, clutching her head.

_**but if she falls, our enemy wakes. And that will be the end for all of us. You know this place. You can find it again. Cleanse our house. Stop this before it is too late.**_

_**The dark spire grew slowly larger, like the bulb of some horrible flower. Jason sensed that if it ever opened, it would release something he did not want to meet.**_

"_**Who am I?" Jason asked the she-wolf. "At least tell me that."**_

_**Wolves don't have much of a sense of humor, but Jason could tell the question amused Lupa, as if Jason were a cub just trying out his claws, practicing to be the alpha male.**_

_**You are our saving grace, as always. The she-wolf curled her lip, as if she had just made a clever joke.**_

The gods laughed. "She did." Athena said.

Apollo looked at Hermes. "Ha. Pay up. I told you Lupa could make a joke."

Hermes grumbled but handed over 50 drachmas.

_**Do not fail, son of Jupiter.**_

Queen Marie finished.

Zeus flicked for a moment before settling on Zeus.

"This was a short chapter, may I continue?" asked Queen Marie.

The gods nodded.

"_**Chapter 14 Jason."**_

_**JASON WOKE TO THE SOUND OF THUNDER. Then he remembered where he was. It was always thundering in Cabin One.**_

"That's so stupid. How will your kids get some sleep if it's always thundering?" Athena asked.

Zeus huffed.

_**Above his cot, the domed ceiling was decorated with a blue-and-white mosaic like a cloudy sky. The cloud tiles shifted across the ceiling, changing from white to black. Thunder rumbled through the room, and gold tiles flashed like veins of lightning.**_

"That on the other hand is pretty." Aphrodite said.

_**Except for the cot that the other campers had brought him, the cabin had no regular furniture—no chairs, tables, or dressers. As far as Jason could tell, it didn't even have a bathroom.**_

"And now we're back to stupid." Hera said.

_**The walls were carved with alcoves, each holding a bronze brazier or a golden eagle statue on a marble pedestal. In the center of the room, a twenty-foot-tall, full-color statue of Zeus in classic Greek robes stood with a shield at his side and a lightning bolt raised, ready to smite somebody.**_

"And back to even more-"

"Okay I get it. My Cabin needs a re do. I'll put Jason in charge of that. Since it is his cabin and all." Zeus grumbled.

_**Jason studied the statue, looking for anything he had in common with the Lord of the Sky. Black hair? Nope. Grumbly expression? Well, maybe. Beard? No thanks. In his robes and sandals, Zeus looked like a really buff, really angry hippie.**_

Zeus looked offended while the other gods busted up laughing.

_**Yeah, Cabin One. A big honor, the other campers had told him. Sure, if you liked sleeping in a cold temple by yourself with Hippie Zeus **_

Some snickers at this.

_**frowning down at you all night.**_

_**Jason got up and rubbed his neck. His whole body was stifffrom bad sleep and summoning lightning. That little trick last night hadn't been as easy as he had let on. It had almost made him pass out.**_

_**Next to the cot, new clothes were laid out for him: jeans, sneakers, and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. He definitely needed a change of clothes, but looking down at his tattered purple shirt, he was reluctant to change. It felt wrong somehow, putting on the camp shirt. He still couldn't believe he belonged here, despite everything they'd told him.**_

Everyone sobered up at that.

_**He thought about his dream, hoping more memories would come back to him about Lupa, or that ruined house in the redwoods. He knew he'd been there before. The wolf was real. But his head ached when he tried to remember. The marks on his forearm seemed to burn.**_

_**If he could find those ruins, he could find his past. Whatever was growing inside that rock spire, Jason had to stop it.**_

_**He looked at Hippie Zeus. "You're welcome to help."**_

_**The statue said nothing.**_

"_**Thanks, Pops," Jason muttered.**_

_**He changed clothes and checked his reflection in Zeus's shield. His face looked watery and strange in the metal, like he was dissolving in a pool of gold.**_

Zeus, Hephaestus and Aphrodite shivered at that.

_**Definitely he didn't look as good as Piper had last night after she'd suddenly been transformed.**_

Tristan growled at the reminder.

_**Jason still wasn't sure how he felt about that. He'd acted like an idiot,**_

Tristan relaxed a bit.

_**announcing in front of everyone that she was a knockout. Not like there'd been anything wrong with her before. Sure, she looked great after Aphrodite zapped her, but she also didn't look like herself, not comfortable with the attention.**_

And now he relaxed all the way.

_**Jason had felt bad for her. Maybe that was crazy, considering she'd just been claimed by a goddess and turned into the most gorgeous girl at camp. Everybody had started fawning over her, telling her how amazing she was and how obviously she should be the one who went on the quest—but that attention had nothing to do with who she was. New dress, new makeup, glowing pink aura, and boom: suddenly people liked her. Jason felt like he understood that.**_

_**Last night when he'd called down lightning, the other campers' reactions had seemed familiar to him. He was pretty sure he'd been dealing with that for a long time—people looking at him in awe just because he was the son of Zeus, treating him special, but it didn't have anything to do with him. Nobody cared about him, just his big scary daddy standing behind him with the doomsday bolt, as if to say, Respect this kid or eat voltage!**_

The gods laughed while Zeus looked even more offended.

_**After the campfire, when people started heading back to their cabins, Jason had gone up to Piper and formally asked her to come with him on the quest.**_

_**She'd still been in a state of shock, but she nodded, rubbing her arms, which must've been cold in that sleeveless dress.**_

"_**Aphrodite took my snowboarding jacket," she muttered. "Mugged by my own mom."**_

There were some sniggers.

Tristan looked at Aphrodite.

"I give it back. Don't worry. It just needed a good cleaning and an outfit to match." Aphrodite said.

_**In the first row of the amphitheater, Jason found a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "We'll get you a new jacket," he promised.**_

_**She managed a smile. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he restrained himself. He didn't want her to think he was as shallow as everyone else—trying to make a move on her because she'd turned all beautiful.**_

"Good boy." Tristan said.

_**He was glad Piper was going with him on the quest. Jason had tried to act brave at the campfire, but it was just that—an act. The idea of going up against an evil force powerful enough to kidnap Hera scared him witless, especially since he didn't even know his own past. He'd need help, and it felt right: Piper should be with him. But things were already complicated without figuring out how much he liked her, and why. He'd already messed with her head enough.**_

"You know, I'm actually starting to like the kid." Tristan smiled.

_**He slipped on his new shoes, ready to get out of that cold, empty cabin. Then he spotted something he hadn't noticed the night before. A brazier had been moved out of one of the alcoves to create a sleeping niche, with a bedroll, a backpack, even some pictures taped to the wall.**_

_**Jason walked over. Whoever had slept there, it had been a long time ago. The bedroll smelled musty. The backpack was covered with a thin film of dust. Some of the photos once taped to the wall had lost their stickiness and fallen to the floor.**_

_**One picture showed Annabeth—much younger, maybe eight, but Jason could tell it was she: same blond hair and gray eyes, same distracted look like she was thinking a million things at once. She stood next to a sandy-haired guy about fourteen or fifteen, with a mischievous smile and ragged leather armor over a T-shirt.**_

Hermes looked down sadly.

_**He was pointing to an alley behind them, like he was telling the photographer, Let's go meet things in a dark alley and kill them! A second photo showed Annabeth and the same guy sitting at a campfire, laughing hysterically.**_

Hermes had tears in his eyes.

Apollo, still with the metal duct tape across his mouth, put a hand on his shoulder.

_**Finally Jason picked up one of the photos that had fallen. It was a strip of pictures like you'd take in a do-it-yourself photo booth: Annabeth and the sandy-haired guy, but with another girl between them. She was maybe fifteen, with black hair—choppy like Piper's—a black leather jacket, and silver jewelry, so she looked kind of goth; but she was caught mid-laugh, and it was clear she was with her two best friends.**_

Beryl perked up. That sounded like-

"_**That's Thalia," someone said.**_

Beryl smiled softly.

_**Jason turned.**_

_**Annabeth was peering over his shoulder. Her expression was sad, like the picture bought back hard memories. "She's the other child of Zeus who lived here—but not for long. Sorry, I should've knocked."**_

"_**It's fine," Jason said. "Not like I think of this place as home."**_

_**Annabeth was dressed for travel, with a winter coat over her camp clothes, her knife at her belt, and a backpack across her shoulder.**_

_**Jason said, "Don't suppose you've changed your mind about coming with us?"**_

_**She shook her head. "You got a good team already. I'm off to look for Percy."**_

_**Jason was a little disappointed. He would've appreciated having somebody on the trip who knew what they were doing, so he wouldn't feel like he was leading Piper and Leo off a cliff.**_

Tristan and Esperanza flinched, remembering the Grand Canyon.

"_**Hey, you'll do fine," Annabeth promised. "Something tells me this isn't your first quest."**_

_**Jason had a vague suspicion she was right, but that didn't make him feel any better. Everyone seemed to think he was so brave and confident, but they didn't see how lost he really felt. How could they trust him when he didn't even know who he was?**_

_**He looked at the pictures of Annabeth smiling. He wondered how long it had been since she'd smiled. She must really like this Percy guy to search for him so hard, and that made Jason a little envious. Was anyone searching for him right now? What if somebody cared for him that much and was going out of her mind with worry, and he couldn't even remember his old life?**_

"Does he have someone?" Tristan asked. "Please don't tell me you set my daughter up with someone who already had someone."

Aphrodite looked offended. "I would never. I would never do that to our daughter."

Tristan looked sorry he asked. "I'm sorry, it's just the panic set in and-"

Aphrodite smiled softly. "It's fine."

"_**You know who I am," he guessed. "Don't you?"**_

_**Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. She looked for a chair to sit on, but of course there weren't any. "Honestly, Jason … I'm not sure. My best guess, you're a loner. It happens sometimes. For one reason or another, the camp never found you, but you survived anyway by constantly moving around. Trained yourself to fight. Handled the monsters on your own. You beat the odds."**_

"_**The first thing Chiron said to me," Jason remembered, "was you should be dead."**_

"_**That could be why," Annabeth said.**_

"Not the reason why." Chorused most of the gods.

"_**Most demigods would never make it on their own. And a child of Zeus—I mean, it doesn't get any more dangerous than that. The chances of your reaching age fifteen without finding Camp Half-Blood or dying—microscopic. But like I said, it does happen. Thalia ran away when she was young. **_

Beryl frowned.

_**She survived on her own for years. Even took care of me for a while. So maybe you were a loner too."**_

_**Jason held out his arm. "And these marks?"**_

_**Annabeth glanced at the tattoos. Clearly, they bothered her. "Well, the eagle is the symbol of Zeus, so that makes sense. The twelve lines—maybe they stand for years, if you'd been making them since you were three years old. SPQR—that's the motto of the old Roman Empire: Senatus Populusque Romanus, the Senate and the People of Rome.**_

"Harsh." Muttered Athena.

_**Though why you would burn that on your own arm, I don't know. Unless you had a really harsh Latin teacher …"**_

The gods snorted.

_**Jason was pretty sure that wasn't the reason. It also didn't seem possible he'd been on his own his whole life. But what else made sense? Annabeth had been pretty clear—Camp Half-Blood was the only safe place in the world for demigods.**_

"_**I, um … had a weird dream last night," he said. It seemed like a stupid thing to confide, but Annabeth didn't look surprised.**_

"_**Happens all the time to demigods," she said. "What did you see?"**_

_**He told her about the wolves and the ruined house and the two rock spires.**_

Hera shivered again.

_**As he talked, Annabeth started pacing, looking more and more agitated.**_

"_**You don't remember where this house is?" she asked.**_

_**Jason shook his head. "But I'm sure I've been there before."**_

"_**Redwoods," she mused. "Could be northern California. And the she-wolf … I've studied goddesses, spirits, and monsters my whole life. I've never heard of Lupa."**_

"Because she's Roman." said Athena.

"_**She said the enemy was a 'her.' I thought maybe it was Hera, but—"**_

"_**I wouldn't trust Hera, but I don't think she's the enemy. And that thing rising out of the earth—" Annabeth's expression darkened. "You've got to stop it."**_

The gods nodded emphatically.

"_**You know what it is, don't you?" he asked. "Or at least, you've got a guess. I saw your face last night at the campfire. You looked at Chiron like it was suddenly dawning on you, but you didn't want to scare us."**_

_**Annabeth hesitated. "Jason, the thing about prophecies …the more you know, the more you try to change them, and that can be disastrous.**_

Apollo tried to speak, but his voice came out muffled.

Athena looked up. "Oh, you can take that off now. He's good."

Hephaestus reached across and hit a tiny button on it. The device folded back into a ring.

Apollo let out a breath of relief " Thanks for that. Anyway, that is correct. Changing prophecies can be one of the most dangerous things out there."

_**Chiron believes it's better that you find your own path, find out things in your own time. If he'd told me everything he knew before my first quest with Percy… I've got to admit, I'm not sure I would've been able to go through with it.**_

"First quest?" Frederick said shocked. "How old was she?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"She was twelve. Same as Percy." Sally informed him.

Frederick paled. "Please tell me she's alright. Please tell me she doesn't die."

"I'm sorry Frederick, I can't. You will find out here though." Athena said sadly.

Frederick nodded. "I'm okay. I got this."

Queen Marie continued reading.

_**For your quest, it's even more important."**_

"_**That bad, huh?"**_

"_**Not if you succeed. At least … I hope not."**_

Tristan, Beryl and Esperanza silently hoped as well.

"_**But I don't even know where to start. Where am I supposed to go?"**_

"_**Follow the monsters," Annabeth suggested.**_

_**Jason thought about that. The storm spirit who'd attacked him at the Grand Canyon had said he was being recalled to his boss. If Jason could track the storm spirits, he might be able to find the person controlling them. And maybe that would lead him to Hera's prison.**_

"_**Okay," he said. "How do I find storm winds?"**_

"_**Personally, I'd ask a wind god," Annabeth said. "Aeolus is the master of all the winds, but he's a little … unpredictable.**_

The gods snorted. Try a little mad.

_**No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I'd try one of the four seasonal wind gods that work for Aeolus. The nearest one, the one who has the most dealings with heroes, is Boreas, the North Wind."**_

"_**So if I looked him up on Google maps—"**_

"What is a Google?" asked Queen Marie.

"Google is like a thing where people can go to search stuff without any costs or find stuff . . . you know what, it's really complicated. Here." Athena waved her hand and the knowledge of anything electronic and futuristic flew into Queen Marie and Maria's heads. "Now you know what everything is and will be able to understand it."

"Thank you Lady Athena." The two chorused.

Queen Marie picked up the book and began to read.

"_**Oh, he's not hard to find," Annabeth promised. "He settled in North America like all the other gods. So of course he picked the oldest northern settlement, about as far north as you can go."**_

"_**Maine?" Jason guessed.**_

"_**Farther."**_

_**Jason tried to envision a map. What was farther north than Maine? The oldest northern settlement …**_

"_**Canada," he decided.**_

Emily perked up at this. Canada was her home country.

"_**Quebec."**_

_**Annabeth smiled. "I hope you speak French."**_

Emily looked surprised. "Boreas lives in Quebec?" She asked.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Ares.

Ares' from flickered for a moment and he clutched his head. Mars came forth and yelled, "Because she lives in Canada you idiot." Then Ares came back. "Whoa. Head rush."

Apollo and Hermes stifled snickers. It was funny when a god's other aspect insulted theirself.

Ares glared at them. "It's not funny." He bellowed.

They stopped immediately.

Everyone turned back towards Queen Marie.

_**Jason actually felt a spark of excitement. Quebec—at least now he had a goal. Find the North Wind, track down the storm spirits, find out who they worked for and where that ruined house was. Free Hera. All in four days. Cake.**_

"_**Thanks, Annabeth." He looked at the photo booth pictures still in his hand. "So, um … you said it was dangerous being a child of Zeus. What ever happened to Thalia?"**_

Beryl perked up.

"_**Oh, she's fine," Annabeth said. "She became a Hunter of Artemis—one of the handmaidens of the goddess. They roam around the country killing monsters. We don't see them at camp very often."**_

Artemis smirked. "Of, course, we are the ones keeping the Romans and Greeks apart. If they get too close to each other on a quest, we intervene. And we are hunting down most of the monsters. The dangerous ones that it."

_**Jason glanced over at the huge statue of Zeus. He understood why Thalia had slept in this alcove. It was the only place in the cabin not in Hippie Zeus's line of sight.**_

The gods stifled sniggers while Zeus huffed. "Stop calling me a hippie, boy." He said.

_**And even that hadn't been enough. She'd chosen to follow Artemis and be part of a group rather than stay in this cold drafty temple alone with her twenty-foot-tall dad—Jason's dad—glowering down at her. Eat voltage!**_

Apollo opened his mouth but Zeus said, "Not one word out of any of you, or I'll send you to the other camp to help out."

Apollo quickly closed his mouth.

_**Jason didn't have any trouble understanding Thalia's feelings. He wondered if there was a Hunters group for guys.**_

Artemis' eye twitched.

"Uh oh. Now you've done it." Apollo muttered.

She opened her mouth to yell but was cut off by all the male gods frantically waving at Queen Marie to read.

Queen Marie quickly complied.

"_**Who's the other kid in the photo?" he asked. "The sandy-haired guy."**_

_**Annabeth's expression tightened. Touchy subject.**_

"_**That's Luke," she said. "He's dead now."**_

Hermes looked down.

_**Jason decided it was best not to ask more, but the way Annabeth said Luke's name, he wondered if maybe Percy Jackson wasn't the only boy Annabeth had ever liked.**_

_**He focused again on Thalia's face. He kept thinking this photo of her was important. He was missing something.**_

_**Jason felt a strange sense of connection to this other child of Zeus—someone who might understand his confusion, maybe even answer some questions. But another voice inside him, an insistent whisper, said: Dangerous. Stay away.**_

"Yes. That is very dangerous." Hera muttered.

"_**How old is she now?" he asked.**_

"_**Hard to say. She was a tree for a while. Now she's immortal."**_

"What?!" Beryl yelled.

"We will find out about it later. The first series should have it." Hera waved her off.

"_**What?"**_

Apollo and Hermes chuckled.

_**His expression must've been pretty good, because Annabeth laughed. "Don't worry. It's not something all children of Zeus go through. It's a long story, but … well, she was out of commission for a long time. If she'd aged regularly, she'd be in her twenties now, but she still looks the same as in that picture, like she's about … well, about your age. Fifteen or sixteen?"**_

_**Something the she-wolf had said in his dream nagged at Jason. He found himself asking, "What's her last name?"**_

"Grace." Beryl muttered.

_**Annabeth looked uneasy. "She didn't use a last name, really. If she had to, she'd use her mom's, but they didn't get along. Thalia ran away when she was pretty young."**_

_**Jason waited.**_

"_**Grace," Annabeth said. "Thalia Grace."**_

_**Jason's fingers went numb. The picture fluttered to the floor.**_

"_**You okay?" Annabeth asked.**_

_**A shred of memory had ignited—maybe a tiny piece that Hera had forgotten to steal. Or maybe she'd left it there on purpose—just enough for him to remember that name, and know that digging up his past was terribly, terribly dangerous.**_

"That and I would never completely take a memory of someone's family." Hera said.

The gods snorted.

"What about Percy?" asked Poseidon.

"She is his family." Hera defended. "Just a little different."

Poseidon thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

_**You should be dead, Chiron had said. It wasn't a comment about Jason beating the odds as a loner. Chiron knew something specific—something about Jason's family.**_

_**The she-wolf 's words in his dream finally made sense to him, her clever joke at his expense. He could imagine Lupa growling a wolfish laugh.**_

Artemis laughed as well. "That was a clever joke. And she was trying to help him, in her own way."

"_**What is it?" Annabeth pressed.**_

_**Jason couldn't keep this to himself. It would kill him, and he had to get Annabeth's help. If she knew Thalia, maybe she could advise him.**_

"_**You have to swear not to tell anyone else," he said.**_

"_**Jason—"**_

"_**Swear it," he urged. "Until I figure out what's going on, what this all means—" He rubbed the burned tattoos on his forearm. "You have to keep a secret."**_

_**Annabeth hesitated, but her curiosity won out. "All right. Until you tell me it's okay, I won't share what you say with anyone else. I swear on the River Styx."**_

An echo of thunder rumbling softly boomed overhead.

_**Thunder rumbled, even louder than usual for the cabin. You are our saving Grace, the wolf had snarled. Jason picked up the photo from the floor. "My last name is Grace," he said. "This is my sister." Annabeth turned pale. Jason could see her wrestling with dismay, disbelief, anger. She thought he was lying. His claim was impossible. And part of him felt the same way, but as soon as he spoke the words, he knew they were true.**_

_**Then the doors of the cabin burst open. Half a dozen campers spilled in, led by the bald guy from Iris, Butch. "Hurry!" he said, and Jason couldn't tell if his expression was excitement or fear. "The dragon is back."**_

"Done." Queen Marie said.

"I'll read." someone said.

"Queen Marie nodded and passed Beryl the book.

"_**Chapter 15. Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**I don't own this. ENjoy**_

* * *

_**PIPER WOKE UP AND IMMEDIATELY GRABBED a mirror. There were plenty of those in the Aphrodite cabin. She sat on her bunk, looked at her reflection and groaned.**_

_**She was still gorgeous.**_

"How long will it last?" asked Tristan. "The beauty thing, I mean."

"My blessing will last for a few days at the most." Aphrodite said, smiling.

_**Last night after the campfire, she'd tried everything. She messed up her hair, washed the makeup off her face, cried to make her eyes red. Nothing worked. Her hair popped back to perfection. The magic makeup reapplied itself. Her eyes refused to get puffy or bloodshot.**_

"Wow. That's some blessing." Emily said.

Aphrodite beamed. "Thank you."

_**She would've changed clothes, but she had nothing to change into. The other Aphrodite campers offered her some (laughing behind her back, she was sure),**_

Tristan frowned.

_**but each outfit was even more fashionable and ridiculous than what she had on.**_

_**Now, after a horrible night's sleep, still no change. Piper normally looked like a zombie in the morning, but her hair was styled like a supermodel's and her skin was perfect. Even that horrible zit at the base of her nose, which she'd had for so many days she'd started to call it Bob, had disappeared.**_

Hades laughed. The other gods looked at him weird. "Remember Bob. Just imagine, that Bob and Bob the pimple."

The other gods laughed as well.

"Uh . . . What other Bob is there?" asked Beryl, a little disturbed.

The question was waved away. "Fourth book we read." Hades said, sobering up at the mention of that book. As did everyone else.

_**She growled in frustration and raked her fingers through her hair. No use. The do just popped back into place. She looked like Cherokee Barbie.**_

_**From across the cabin, Drew called, "Oh, honey, it won't go away." Her voice dripped with false sympathy. "Mom's blessing will last at least another day. Maybe a week if you're lucky."**_

Tristan gritted his teeth. "I hate that girl." He muttered.

_**Piper gritted her teeth. "A week?"**_

_**The other Aphrodite kids—about dozen girls and five guys—smirked and snickered at her discomfort. Piper knew she should play cool, not let them get under her skin. She'd dealt with shallow, popular kids plenty of times. But this was different. These were her brothers and sisters, even if she had nothing in common with them, and how Aphrodite had managed to have so many kids so close in age … Never mind. She didn't want to know.**_

Aphrodite blushed.

"_**Don't worry, hon." Drew blotted her fluorescent lipstick. "You're thinking you don't belong here? We couldn't agree more. Isn't that right, Mitchell ?"**_

_**One of the guys flinched. "Um, yeah. Sure."**_

Some people growled.

"_**Mmm-hmm." Drew took out her mascara and checked her lashes. Everyone else watched, not daring to speak. "So anyways, people, fifteen minutes until breakfast. The cabin's not going to clean itself! And Mitchell, I think you've learned your lesson. Right, sweetie? So you're on garbage patrol just for today, mm-kay? Show Piper how it's done, 'cause I have a feeling she'll have that job soon—if she survives her quest. Now, get to work, everybody! It's my bathroom time!"**_

_**Everybody started rushing around, making beds and folding clothes, while Drew scooped up her makeup kit, hair dryer, and brush and marched into the bathroom.**_

_**Someone inside yelped, and a girl about eleven was kicked out, hastily wrapped in towels with shampoo still in her hair.**_

Aphrodite frowned. She hadn't known it was this bad.

_**The door slammed shut, and the girl started to cry. A couple of older campers comforted her and wiped the bubbles out of her hair.**_

"_**Seriously?" Piper said to no one in particular. "You let Drew treat you like this?"**_

_**A few kids shot Piper nervous looks, like they might actually agree, but they said nothing.**_

"That's it! I'm taking back her powers and everything that makes her my daughter. She will still have her godly blood, but I'm not going to - to. Argh." Aphrodite growled in frustration.

_**The campers kept working, though Piper couldn't see why the cabin needed much cleaning. It was a life-size dollhouse, with pink walls and white window trim. The lace curtains were pastel blue and green, which of course matched the sheets and feather comforters on all the beds.**_

_**The guys had one row of bunks separated by a curtain, but their section of the cabin was just as neat and orderly as the girls'. Something was definitely unnatural about that. **_

All the men shivered.

"Definitely unnatural." The girls said.

_**Every camper had a wooden camp chest at the foot of their bunk with their name painted on it, and Piper guessed that the clothes in each chest were neatly folded and color coordinated. The only bit of individualism was how the campers decorated their private bunk spaces. Each had slightly different pictures tacked up of whatever celebrities they thought were hot. A few had personal photos, too, but most were actors or singers or whatever.**_

_**Piper hoped she might not see The Poster.**_

Tristan blushed. He had an idea what The Poster was.

"Are you okay?" asked Sally. "You're turning red."

Tristan waved her off. "You'll see."

_**It had been almost a year since the movie, and she thought by now surely everyone had torn down those old tattered advertisements and tacked up something newer. But no such luck. She spotted one on the wall by the storage closet, in the middle of a collage of famous heartthrobs.**_

_**The title was lurid red: king of sparta. Under that, the poster showed the leading man—a three-quarters shot of bare-chested bronze flesh, with ripped pectorals and six-pack abs. He was clad in only a Greek war kilt and a purple cape, sword in hand. He looked like he'd just been rubbed in oil, his short black hair gleaming and rivulets of sweat pouring off his rugged face, those dark sad eyes facing the camera as if to say, I will kill your men and steal your women! Ha-ha!**_

Now everyone looked at Tristan who was flaming red now.

_**It was the most ridiculous poster of all time. Piper and her dad had had a good laugh over it the first time they saw it. Then the movie made a bajillion dollars. The poster graphic popped up everywhere. Piper couldn't get away from it at school, walking down the street, even online. It became The Poster, the most embarrassing thing in her life. And yeah, it was a picture of her dad.**_

_**She turned away so no one would think she was staring at it. Maybe when everyone went to breakfast she could tear it down and they wouldn't notice.**_

_**She tried to look busy, but she didn't have any extra clothes to fold. She straightened her bed, then realized the top blanket was the one Jason had wrapped around her shoulders last night. She picked it up and pressed it to her face. It smelled of wood smoke, but unfortunately not of Jason.**_

Tristan scowled.

_**He was the only person who'd been genuinely nice to her after the claiming, like he cared about how she felt, not just about her stupid new clothes.**_

Tristan looked somewhat better by this.

_**God, she'd wanted to kiss him, but he'd seemed so uncomfortable, almost scared of her. She couldn't really blame him. She'd been glowing pink.**_

Aphrodite huffed.

"'_**Scuse me," said a voice by her feet. The garbage patrol guy, Mitchell, was crawling around on all fours, picking up chocolate wrappers and crumpled notes from under the bunk beds. Apparently the Aphrodite kids weren't one hundred percent neat freaks after all.**_

_**She moved out of his way. "What'd you do to make Drew mad?"**_

_**He glanced over at the bathroom door to make sure it was still closed. "Last night, after you were claimed, I said you might not be so bad."**_

Everyone growled in anger.

"That's how she treats people?" asked Athena.

_**It wasn't much of a compliment, but Piper was stunned. An Aphrodite kid had actually stood up for her?**_

"You don't have to sound so shocked. My kids are good sometimes." Aphrodite said under her breath.

"_**Thanks," she said.**_

_**Mitchell shrugged. "Yeah, well. See where it got me. But for what it's worth, welcome to Cabin Ten."**_

_**A girl with blond pigtails and braces raced up with a pile of clothes in her arms. She looked around furtively like she was delivering nuclear materials.**_

"_**I brought you these," she whispered.**_

"_**Piper, meet Lacy," Mitchell said, still crawling around on the floor.**_

Aphrodite smiled at the mention of Lacy.

"_**Hi," Lacy said breathlessly. "You can change clothes. The blessing won't stop you. This is just, you know, a backpack, some rations, ambrosia and nectar for emergencies, some jeans, a few extra shirts, and a warm jacket. The boots might be a little snug. But—well—we took up a collection. Good luck on your quest!"**_

_**Lacy dumped the things on the bed and started to hurry away, but Piper caught her arm. "Hold on. At least let me thank you! Why are you rushing off?"**_

_**Lacy looked like she might shake apart from nervousness. "Oh, well—"**_

"_**Drew might find out," Mitchell explained.**_

"That girl is a menace." Athena said.

"_**I might have to wear the shoes of shame!" Lacy gulped.**_

"_**The what?" Piper asked.**_

_**Lacy and Mitchell both pointed to a black shelf mounted in the corner of the room, like an altar. Displayed on it were a hideous pair of orthopedic nurse's shoes, bright white with thick soles.**_

Aphrodite shrieked and yelled. "That's torture. I'm definitely having a talk with her."

"_**I had to wear them for a week once," Lacy whimpered. "They don't go with anything!"**_

"_**And there're worse punishments," Mitchell warned. "Drew can charmspeak, see? Not many Aphrodite kids have that power; but if she tries hard enough, she can get you to do some pretty embarrassing things. Piper, you're the first person I've seen in a long time who is able to resist her."**_

"_**Charmspeak …" Piper remembered last night, the way the crowd at the campfire had swayed back and forth between Drew's opinion and hers. "You mean, like, you could talk someone into doing things. Or … giving you things. Like a car?"**_

Tristan looked shocked. "Charmspeak. She has 's how she got the

people to give her things? She used her power unintentionally?"

"What exactly is Charmspeak?" asked Emily.

"Charmspeak is where you have the power to manipulate people with your beauty. They think you look so beautiful that they have to give you what you want or do whatever you say. Or so how the people I've Charmspoken says. It can be used in two ways for evil, like Drew, or good, like Piper uses it." Aphrodite explained.

Emily nodded. "Okay."

Beryl continued to read.

"_**Oh, don't give Drew any ideas!" Lacy gasped.**_

"_**But yeah," Mitchell said. "She could do that."**_

"_**So that's why she's head counselor," Piper said. "She convinced you all?"**_

_**Mitchell picked a nasty wad of gum from under Piper's bed. "Nah, she inherited the post when Silena Beauregard died in the war.**_

Aphrodite looked down.

_**Drew was second oldest. Oldest camper automatically gets the post, unless somebody with more years or more completed quests wants to challenge, in which case there's a duel, but that hardly ever happens. Anyway, we've been stuck with Drew in charge since August. She decided to make some, ah, changes in the way the cabin is run."**_

"_**Yes, I did!" Suddenly Drew was there, leaning against the bunk. Lacy squeaked like a guinea pig and tried to run, but Drew put an arm out to stop her. She looked down at Mitchell. "I think you missed some trash, sweetie. You'd better make another pass."**_

_**Piper glanced toward the bathroom and saw that Drew had dumped everything from the bathroom waste bin—some pretty nasty things—all over the floor.**_

The girls winced. The knew what sort of stuff could be in that trash.

Aphrodite fumed. "That's it!" She started to get up but Artemis stopped her. She spoke quietly in the other's ear and Aphrodite calmed down.

"Beryl." Aphrodite said calmly.

Beryl compiled at the unspoken request.

_**Mitchell sat up on his haunches. He glared at Drew like he was about to attack (which Piper would've paid money to see), but finally he snapped, "Fine."**_

_**Drew smiled. "See, Piper, hon, we're a good cabin here. A good family! Silena Beauregard, though … you could take a warning from her. She was secretly passing information to Kronos in the Titan War, helping the enemy."**_

_**Drew smiled all sweet and innocent, with her glittery pink makeup and her blow-dried hair lush and smelling like nutmeg. She looked like any popular teenage girl from any high school. But her eyes were as cold as steel. Piper got the feeling Drew was looking straight into her soul, pulling out her secrets.**_

_**Helping the enemy.**_

"_**Oh, none of the other cabins talk about it," Drew confided. "They act like Silena Beauregard was a hero."**_

Aphrodite looked livid, then calmed down when Artemis gave her a look.

"_**She sacrificed her life to make things right," Mitchell grumbled. "She was a hero."**_

"_**Mmm-hmm," Drew said. "Another day on garbage patrol, Mitchell. But anyways, Silena lost track of what this cabin is about. We match up cute couples at camp! Then we break them apart and start over! It's the best fun ever.**_

The other gods looked livid as well. "Aphrodite, if you don't talk to her, I will." Apollo growled. Now he knew the reason some of his kids had prayed to him about broken hearts.

_**We don't have any business getting involved in other stuff like wars and quests. I certainly haven't been on any quests. They're a waste of time!"**_

"Oh, but you wanted to go on one last night." Apollo said angrily.

_**Lacy raised her hand nervously. "But last night you said you wanted to go on a—"**_

_**Drew glared at her, and Lacy's voice died.**_

"_**Most of all," Drew continued, "we certainly don't need our image tarnished by spies, do we, Piper?"**_

_**Piper tried to answer, but she couldn't. There was no way Drew could know about her dreams or her dad's kidnapping, was there?**_

"_**It's too bad you won't be around," Drew sighed. "But if you survive your little quest, don't worry, I'll find somebody to match up with you. Maybe one of those gross Hephaestus guys.**_

"Hey! He's not that bad!" Esperanza and Aphrodite yelled.

Hephaestus looked touched that they were standing up for him and his kids.

_**Or Clovis? He's pretty repulsive." Drew looked her over with a mix of pity and disgust. "Honestly, I didn't think it was possible for Aphrodite to have an ugly child, but … who was your father? Was he some sort of mutant, or—"**_

"_**Tristan McLean," Piper snapped.**_

"Whoo. She definitely pissed her off. I bet she never plays the famous dad card." Hermes said.

Tristan nodded. "Yes. She never plays the famous dad card." He agreed.

_**As soon as she said it, she hated herself. She never, ever played the "famous dad" card. But Drew had driven her over the edge. "My dad's Tristan McLean."**_

_**The stunned silence was gratifying for a few seconds, but Piper felt ashamed of herself. Everybody turned and looked at The Poster, her dad flexing his muscles for the whole world to see.**_

"_**Oh my god!" half the girls screamed at once.**_

Tristan flinched. This is what he normally faced when people found out who he was.

"_**Sweet!" a guy said. "The dude with the sword who killed that other dude in that movie?"**_

"_**He is so hot for an old guy,"**_

Tristan spluttered. "I'm not old."

Aphrodite snickered. "You kinda are to them. The oldest kid I have at camp would be Drew and she's almost seventeen. You are old to them. That was probably Kiara, and she's only twelve."

Tristan looked even more embarrassed that a twelve year old called him hot.

_**a girl said, and then she blushed. "I mean I'm sorry. I know he's your dad. That's so weird!"**_

"_**It's weird, all right," Piper agreed.**_

"_**Do you think you could get me his autograph?" another girl asked.**_

_**Piper forced a smile. She couldn't say, If my dad survives...**_

"It's not good for a mortal to go through that many shades of color within the space of a few minutes, right?" asked Hermes to Apollo.

Apollo shook his head. "It's really not."

"_**Yeah, no problem," she managed.**_

_**The girl squealed in excitement, and more kids surged forward, asking a dozen questions at once.**_

"_**Have you ever been on the set?"**_

"_**Do you live in a mansion?"**_

"_**Do you have lunch with movie stars?"**_

"_**Have you had your rite of passage?"**_

Aphrodite looked furious. "Just os you know, I never came up with this. I'm sorry for what my kids do to your kids."

_**That one caught Piper off guard. "Rite of what?" she asked.**_

_**The girls and guys giggled and shoved each other around like this was an embarrassing topic.**_

"_**The rite of passage for an Aphrodite child," one explained. "You get someone to fall in love with you. Then you break their heart. Dump them. Once you do that, you've proven yourself worthy of Aphrodite."**_

Everyone looked shocked. Then they all turned angry.

_**Piper stared at the crowd to see if they were joking. "Break someone's heart on purpose? That's terrible!"**_

_**The others looked confused.**_

"_**Why?" a guy asked.**_

"_**Oh my god!" a girl said. "I bet Aphrodite broke your dad's heart! I bet he never loved anyone again, did he? That's so romantic! When you have your rite of passage, you can be just like Mom!"**_

"_**Forget it!" Piper yelled, a little louder than she'd intended.**_

"Good Piper. Show them what love's really about." Aphrodite urged.

_**The other kids backed away. "I'm not breaking somebody's heart just for a stupid rite of passage!"**_

_**Which of course gave Drew a chance to take back control. "Well, there you go!" she cut in. "Silena said the same thing. She broke the tradition, fell in love with that Beckendorf boy, and stayed in love. If you ask me, that's why things ended tragically for her."**_

Aphrodite and Hephaestus scowled.

"_**That's not true!" Lacy squeaked, but Drew glared at her, and she immediately melted back into the crowd.**_

"_**Hardly matters," Drew continued, "because, Piper, hon, you couldn't break anyone's heart anyway. And this nonsense about your dad being Tristan McLean—that's so begging for attention."**_

Tristan fumed.

_**Several of the kids blinked uncertainly.**_

"_**You mean he's not her dad?" one asked.**_

_**Drew rolled her eyes. "Please.**_

Tristan was now extremely mad.

_**Now, it's time for breakfast, people, and Piper here has to start that little quest. So let's get her packed and get her out of here!"**_

_**Drew broke up the crowd and got everyone moving. She called them "hon" and "dear," but her tone made it clear she expected to be obeyed.**_

Everyone steadily grew more furious.

_**Mitchell and Lacy helped Piper pack. They even guarded the bathroom while Piper went in and changed into a better traveling outfit. The hand-me-downs weren't fancy—thank god—just well-worn jeans, a T-shirt, a comfortable winter coat, and hiking boots that fit perfectly. She strapped her dagger, Katoptris, to her belt.**_

_**When Piper came out, she felt almost normal again. The other campers were standing at their bunks while Drew came around and inspected. Piper turned to Mitchell and Lacy and mouthed, Thank you. Mitchell nodded grimly. Lacy flashed a full-braces smile. Piper doubted Drew had ever thanked them for anything. She also noticed that the King of Sparta poster had been wadded up and thrown in the trash. Drew's orders, no doubt. Even though Piper had wanted to take the poster down herself, now she was totally steamed.**_

_**When Drew spotted her, she clapped in mock applause. "Very nice! Our little quest girl all dressed in Dumpster clothes again.**_

Slowly they grew close to exploding.

_**Now, off you go! No need to eat breakfast with us. Good luck with … whatever. Bye!"**_

_**Piper shouldered her bag. She could feel everyone else's eyes on her as she walked to the door. She could just leave and forget about it. That would've been the easy thing. What did she care about this cabin, these shallow kids?**_

Aphrodite frowned.

_**Except that some of them had tried to help her. Some of them had even stood up to Drew for her.**_

_**She turned at the door. "You know, you all don't have to follow Drew's orders."**_

_**The other kids shifted. Several glanced at Drew, but she looked too stunned to respond.**_

"_**Umm," one managed, "she's our head counselor."**_

"_**She's a tyrant," Piper corrected. "You can think for yourselves. There's got to be more to Aphrodite than this."**_

"There is. There is so much more." Aphrodite said, wistfully.

"_**More than this," one kid echoed.**_

"_**Think for ourselves," a second muttered.**_

"_**People!" Drew screeched. "Don't be stupid! She's charm-speaking you."**_

"_**No," Piper said. "I'm just telling the truth."**_

_**At least, Piper thought that was the case. She didn't understand exactly how this charmspeaking business worked, but she didn't feel like she was putting any special power into her words. She didn't want to win an argument by tricking people. That would make her no better than Drew. Piper simply meant what she said. Besides, even if she tried charmspeaking, she had a feeling it wouldn't work very well on another charmspeaker like Drew.**_

Everyone looked at Aphrodite. "She's right. It won't work."

_**Drew sneered at her. "You may have a little power, Miss Movie Star. But you don't know the first thing about Aphrodite. You have such great ideas? What do you think this cabin is about, then? Tell them. Then maybe I'll tell them a few things about you, huh?"**_

_**Piper wanted to make a withering retort, but her anger turned to panic. She was a spy for the enemy, just like Silena Beauregard. An Aphrodite traitor. Did Drew know about that, or was she bluffing? Under Drew's glare, her confidence began to crumble.**_

"_**Not this," Piper managed. "Aphrodite is not about this."**_

_**Then she turned and stormed out before the others could see her blushing.**_

_**Behind her, Drew started laughing. "Not this? Hear that, people? She doesn't have a clue!"**_

Tristan looked spitting mad.

_**Piper promised herself she would never ever go back to that cabin. She blinked away her tears and stormed across the green, not sure where she was going—until she saw the dragon swooping down from the sky.**_

"Done." Beryl said.

"I want to read." Esperanza said. "I've never finished a chapter and I would like to."

Beryl handed her the book.

"_**Chapter 16. Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry, guys, short chapter. I don't own this. ENjoy

* * *

"Oh, this is the last chapter before we have dinner, then we will read two more before we can go to bed." Hera offered.

The mortals all nodded.

"Thank you." Sally said.

"_**LEO?" SHE YELLED.**_

_**Sure enough, there he was, sitting atop a giant bronze death machine and grinning like a lunatic. Even before he landed, the camp alarm went up. A conch horn blew. All the satyrs started screaming, "Don't kill me!" Half the camp ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon set down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yelled, "It's cool! Don't shoot!"**_

_**Hesitantly, the archers lowered their bows.**_

"My kids." Apollo corrected.

_**The warriors backed away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They made a loose wide ring around the metal monster. Other demigods hid behind their cabin doors or peeped out the windows. Nobody seemed anxious to get close.**_

_**Piper couldn't blame them. The dragon was huge. It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture —different shades of copper and bronze—a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.**_

"It sounds beautiful." Esperanza sighed before continuing.

"_**It's beautiful," Piper muttered. The other demigods stared at her like she was insane.**_

_**The dragon reared its head and shot a column of fire into the sky. Campers scrambled away and hefted their weapons, but Leo slid calmly off the dragon's back. He held up his hands like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face.**_

"_**People of Earth, I come in peace!" he shouted.**_

Some people snorted.

_**He looked like he'd been rolling around in the campfire. His army coat and his face were smeared with soot. His hands were grease-stained, and he wore a new tool belt around his waist. His eyes were bloodshot. His curly hair was so oily it stuck up in porcupine quills, and he smelled strangely of Tabasco sauce. But he looked absolutely delighted. "Festus is just saying hello!"**_

"_**That thing is dangerous!" an Ares girl shouted, brandishing her spear. "Kill it now!"**_

Ares smiled. "Clarisse."

"_**Stand down!" someone ordered.**_

_**To Piper's surprise, it was Jason.**_

Hera switched to Juno. "A natural born leader." She switched back to Hera and groaned. "Stupid Juno." Hera cursed.

_**He pushed through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and that girl from the Hephaestus cabin, Nyssa.**_

_**Jason gazed up at the dragon and shook his head in amazement. "Leo, what have you done?"**_

"Found you transportation." Hermes said sarcastically.

"_**Found a ride!" Leo beamed. "You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"**_

"_**It—has wings," Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face.**_

"_**Yeah!" Leo said. "I found them and reattached them."**_

"_**But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"**_

_**Leo hesitated, and Piper could tell he was hiding something.**_

"_**In … the woods," he said.**_

Hermes face palmed. "Terrible liar." He muttered.

"_**Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."**_

"Mostly?" asked Tristan, pale.

"_**Mostly?" Nyssa asked.**_

"That's what I want to know." Tristan said. His daughter was going to ride that dragon.

_**The dragon's head twitched. It tilted to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, hopefully just oil—poured out of its ear, all over Leo.**_

"_**Just a few kinks to work out," Leo said.**_

"_**But how did you survive … ?" Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. "I mean, the fire breath …"**_

"_**I'm quick," Leo said. "And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?"**_

_**Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"**_

Everyone snorted.

_**The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.**_

"_**That's a yes, bro!" Leo said. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."**_

_**Jason frowned. "But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"**_

"_**Go," Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn't look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times. "Jason, you've only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!"**_

_**Jason nodded. Then he smiled at Piper. "You ready, partner?"**_

_**Piper looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could've shredded her to pieces.**_

Esperanza, Tristan, and Beryl paled.

"_**You bet," she said.**_

_**Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever, Piper thought.**_

_**Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they were flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon's back were designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren't uncomfortable at all. Leo showed them how to hook their feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating. They sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, then Jason, and Piper was very aware of Jason right behind her. She wished he would hold on to her, maybe wrap his arms around her waist; but sadly, he didn't.**_

Everyone looked at Tristan.

"What?" he said, noticing the looks.

"I thought you were going to freak out." Apollo said.

"I'm not. I kinda like the guy. But only a little." Tristan explained.

_**Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. They shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.**_

_**Leo grinned back at them. "Cool, right?"**_

"_**What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.**_

Hermes opened his mouth, then he noticed the frantic waving of the other gods and huffed.

"_**The Mist," Jason said. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."**_

_**Piper glanced over her shoulder. "You sure about that?"**_

"_**No," he admitted. Then Piper saw he was clutching a photo in his hand—a picture of a girl with dark hair.**_

_**She gave Jason a quizzical look, but he blushed and put the photo in his pocket. "We're making good time. Probably get there by tonight."**_

_**Piper wondered who the girl in the picture was, but she didn't want to ask; and if Jason didn't volunteer the information, that wasn't a good sign. Had he remembered something about his life before? Was that a photo of his real girlfriend?**_

Beryl looked to be sick. "No. I don't even want to go there."

_**Stop it, she thought. You'll just torture yourself.**_

_**She asked a safer question. "Where are we heading?"**_

"_**To find the god of the North Wind," Jason said. "And chase some storm spirits."**_

"Done." Esperanza said.

"Time for dinner, then." said Hera. SHe waved her hand a another feast appeared. "We have to go see where you guys will sleep tonight. We will be right back."

The gods left again.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if they really don't know how to be around us. If that's why they won't stay unless the book is being read." Frederick said while they were eating.

"Who knows? Maybe." Sally agreed.

Meanwhile the gods were listening in.

"Is that what they really think?" whispered Ares.

"Well, it is the truth." Apollo said. "God of truth, right here."

"No dip Sherlock." Ares sarcastically stated.

Apollo pouted.

"But, seriously, we will have to eat with them eventually." Athena said.

"We know." Chorused Apollo and Ares.

Suddenly a loud voice said, "And just what are you three doing?"

They jumped. "Jeez Hera, don't do that." Apollo said.

"Well?" Hera said impatiently.

"We're just seeing what they think." Ares stated defensively, pointing at the mortals.

"Ares, don't point. It's rude. So you are spying?" Hera clarified.

The three thought for a moment then slowly nodded.

"Well, come on. It's time to go back in." Hera pushed open the doors fully and walked in the room.

The three troublemakers looked at each other and walked in the room.

"I'll read." Hephaestus said. **_"CHapter 17, Leo." _**

* * *

**_Addy_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**I don't own this. Enjoy**_

* * *

_**LEO WAS TOTALLY BUZZING.**_

_**The expression on everyone's faces when he flew the dragon into camp? Priceless! He thought his cabin mates were going to bust a lug nut.**_

Hephaestus had a proud smile on his face as he read that.

_**Festus had been awesome too. He hadn't blowtorched a single cabin or eaten any satyrs, even if he did dribble a little oil from his ear. Okay, a lot of oil. Leo could work on that later.**_

_**So maybe Leo didn't seize the chance to tell everybody about Bunker 9 or the flying boat design. He needed some time to think about all that. He could tell them when he came back.**_

_**If I come back, part of him thought.**_

"Don't think like that, _mijo_. Esperanza said.

_**Nah, he'd come back. He'd scored a sweet magic tool belt from the bunker, plus a lot of cool supplies now safely stowed in his backpack. Besides, he had a fire-breathing, only slightly leaky dragon on his side. What could go wrong?**_

_**Well, the control disk could bust, the bad part of him suggested. Festus could eat you.**_

Esperanza paled.

_**Okay, so the dragon wasn't quite as fixed as Leo might've let on. He'd worked all night attaching those wings, but he hadn't found an extra dragon brain anywhere in the bunker. Hey, they were under a time limit! Three days until the solstice. They had to get going. Besides, Leo had cleaned the disk pretty well. Most of the circuits were still good. It would just have to hold together.**_

_**His bad side started to think, Yeah, but what if—**_

"_**Shut up, me," Leo said aloud.**_

"Well, now they think he's crazy." Apollo said.

"_**What?" Piper asked.**_

"_**Nothing," he said. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool."**_

_**Sitting in front, Leo couldn't see their faces, but he assumed from their silence that his friends were not pleased to have a sleepless, hallucinating dragon driver.**_

"I wouldn't be happy either." Tristan mumbled.

"_**Just joking." Leo decided it might be good to change the subject. "So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?"**_

_**As they flew over New England, Jason laid out the game plan: First, find some guy named Boreas and grill him for information—**_

"_**His name is Boreas?" Leo had to ask. "What is he, the God of Boring?"**_

The gods snickered.

_**Second, Jason continued, they had to find those venti that had attacked them at the Grand Canyon—**_

"_**Can we just call them storm spirits?" Leo asked. "Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."**_

Now everyone was laughing.

_**And third, Jason finished, they had to find out who the storm spirits worked for, so they could find Hera and free her.**_

"_**So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, on purpose," Leo said. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."**_

"That sounds about right." Apollo said while Esperanza paled at the mention of the Grand Canyon.

"_**That's about it," Jason said. "Well … there may be a wolf involved, too. But I think she's friendly. She probably won't eat us, unless we show weakness."**_

"I hope they don't meet Lupa on this quest." Tristan said.

_**Jason told them about his dream—the big nasty mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of the swimming pool.**_

"_**Uh-huh," Leo said. "But you don't know where this place is."**_

"_**Nope," Jason admitted.**_

"_**There's also giants," Piper added. "The prophecy said the giants' revenge."**_

"_**Hold on," Leo said. "Giants—like more than one? Why can't it be just one giant who wants revenge?"**_

"You're not that lucky, but I wish we all were." Frederick mumbled.

"_**I don't think so," Piper said. "I remember in some of the old Greek stories, there was something about an army of giants."**_

"_**Great," Leo muttered. "Of course, with our luck, it's an army. So you know anything else about these giants? Didn't you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?"**_

"_**Your dad's an actor?" Jason asked.**_

_**Leo laughed. "I keep forgetting about your amnesia.**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

_**Heh. Forgetting about amnesia. That's funny. But yeah, her dad's Tristan McLean."**_

"_**Uh—Sorry, what was he in?"**_

"_**It doesn't matter," Piper said quickly. "The giants—well, there were lots of giants in Greek mythology. But if I'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill. They could throw mountains and stuff. I think they were related to the Titans. They rose from the earth after Kronos lost the war—I mean the first Titan war, thousands of years ago—and they tried to destroy Olympus. If we're talking about the same giants—"**_

The mortals turned pale.

"They are fighting them?!" were the panicked shouts from several worried parents.

The gods nodded.

The mortals looked about to die of heart attacks.

"Apollo, check them. They look like they are about to pass out." Hermes whispered.

Apollo started to get up but Sally motioned him away.

"Look. Our kids are trained for this. It is in their blood to fight monsters and survive. What we can do to help them, is be there for them. Provide a warm home for them to come back to. So they can feel like they have something to fight for. We can read this to find out how we can be better. So, please, pull together. This hasn't happened for some of you, for others it's happening right now. We can change this." Sally said.

Apollo looked impressed. While she had been talking all of the mortal parents looked determined. He nodded at Hephaestus to continue reading.

"_**Chiron said it was happening again," Jason remembered. "The last chapter. That's what he meant. No wonder he didn't want us to know all the details."**_

_**Leo whistled. "So … giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter."**_

Hera huffed.

"_**Is that another joke?" Piper asked.**_

_**Leo told them about Tía Callida, who was really Hera, and how she'd appeared to him at camp. He didn't tell them about his fire abilities. That was still a touchy subject, especially after Nyssa had told him fire demigods tended to destroy cities and stuff. Besides, then Leo would have to get into how he'd caused his mom's death, and … No. He wasn't ready to go there. He did manage to tell about the night she died, not mentioning the fire, just saying the machine shop collapsed. It was easier without having to look at his friends, just keeping his eyes straight ahead as they flew.**_

_**And he told them about the strange woman in earthen robes who seemed to be asleep, and seemed to know the future.**_

"That's a lot to dump on them." Hermes said.

_**Leo estimated the whole state of Massachusetts passed below them before his friends spoke.**_

"_**That's … disturbing," Piper said.**_

"'_**Bout sums it up," Leo agreed. "Thing is, everybody says don't trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we'd cause death if we unleash her rage. So I'm wondering … why are we doing this?"**_

"_**She chose us," Jason said. "All three of us. We're the first of the seven who have to gather for the Great Prophecy.**_

Esperanza, Tristan and Beryl paled.

"So I guess the other four are some of our kids, I'm guessing, Frank, Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel?" asked Frederick.

The gods nodded reluctantly to even allow that much of a spoiler.

Emily, Frederick, and Queen Marie paled as well. Sally groaned.

"Then why am I here?" asked Maria.

"Your son also is apart of this, though he not apart of the seven, he has a different role." Athena said.

Maria paled and nodded.

_**This quest is the beginning of something much bigger."**_

_**That didn't make Leo feel any better, but he couldn't argue with Jason's point. It did feel like this was the start of something huge. He just wished that if there were four more demigods destined to help them, they'd show up quick. Leo didn't want to hog all the terrifying life-threatening adventures.**_

"Yeah, that would be nice." Hermes said sarcastically.

Sally muttered. "Not really."

"_**Besides," Jason continued, "helping Hera is the only way I can get back my memory. And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera's energy. If that thing unleashes a king of the giants by destroying Hera—"**_

"_**Not a good trade-off," Piper agreed. "At least Hera is on our side—mostly. Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. She's the main one who keeps peace in the family. And a war with the giants could be even more destructive than the Titan War." **_

The gods shivered. "Way more destructive." Athena said.

_**Jason nodded. "Chiron also talked about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with it being a good time for dark magic, and all—something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who's controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods—"**_

"_**Might be that weird sleeping lady," Leo finished. "Dirt Woman fully awake? Not something I want to see."**_

"None of us do, boy." Artemis shuddered.

"_**But who is she?" Jason asked. "And what does she have to do with giants?"**_

_**Good questions, but none of them had answers. They flew in silence while Leo wondered if he'd done the right thing, sharing so much. He'd never told anyone about that night at the warehouse. Even if he hadn't give them the whole story, it still felt strange, like he'd opened up his chest and taken out all the gears that made him tick. His body was shaking, and not from the cold. He hoped Piper, sitting behind him, couldn't tell.**_

_**The forge and dove shall break the cage. Wasn't that the prophecy line?**_

"How will they break the cage?" asked Tristan.

"You'll see." Apollo said, cheerfully.

"I'm starting to hate those words." Frederick said.

"Here, here." said all of the other mortal parents.

_**That meant Piper and he would have to figure out how to break into that magic rock prison, assuming they could find it. Then they'd unleash Hera's rage, causing a lot of death. Well, that sounded fun! Leo had seen Tía Callida in action; she liked knives, snakes, and putting babies in roaring fires. Yeah, definitely let's unleash her rage. Great idea.**_

"I'm sorry. I was only trying to help." Hera said.

Esperanza looked shocked. "It's okay. Maybe . . . well, I could still use a babysitter." She offered tentatively.

Hera nodded. "That sounds great. I would love to get to know him."

Zeus looked about to protest but Hera said, "Your stupid law says we can't contact our kids. Leo's not my kid, I can see him."

Zeus closed his mouth. He waved at Hephaestus to keep reading.

_**Festus kept flying. The wind got colder, and below them snowy forests seemed to go on forever. Leo didn't know exactly where Quebec was. He'd told Festus to take them to the palace of Boreas, and Festus kept going north. Hopefully, the dragon knew the way, and they wouldn't end up at the North Pole.**_

"No, Boreas isn't Santa." Hermes snickered.

"Yeah, that would be-" Apollo started.

"Finish that sentence and you will have an arrow in not very pleasant places." Artemis had her bow out, pointing at Apollo.

Apollo yelped. "No one. It's no one." He said desperately.

Artemis nodded, satisfied.

"_**Why don't you get some sleep?" Piper said in his ear. "You were up all night."**_

_**Leo wanted to protest, but the word sleep sounded really good. "You won't let me fall off?"**_

_**Piper patted his shoulder. "Trust me, Valdez. Beautiful people never lie."**_

"_**Right," he muttered. He leaned forward against the warm bronze of the dragon's neck, and closed his eyes.**_

"And that's it." Hephaestus said, putting the book down.

"I'll read next." Demeter offered. She got up to get the book. After she had it, she sat down. "_**Chapter 18 Leo."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**I don't own this. Enjoy**_

* * *

_**IT SEEMED HE SLEPT ONLY FOR SECONDS, but when Piper shook him awake, the daylight was fading.**_

"_**We're here," she said.**_

_**Leo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Below them, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town, way older than any place Leo had seen before. In the center was an actual castle—at least Leo assumed it was a castle—with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.**_

"_**Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo said.**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

"_**Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"**_

_**Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"**_

Aphrodite huffed. "Just because I like fashion and love doesn't make me an airhead. I like to read sometimes."

_**She made a face at him, which Leo was used to, but it didn't quite work with her new glamorous makeup. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."**_

Aphrodite beamed at that. "See, Piper agrees with me."

"_**Feisty!" Leo said. "So you know so much, what's that castle?"**_

"_**A hotel, I think."**_

_**Leo laughed. "No way."**_

_**But as they got closer, Leo saw she was right. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive. People in elegant suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.**_

"_**The North Wind is staying in a hotel?" Leo said. "That can't be—"**_

"Be on the look out for the-" Athena started, but was bowled over by Demeter.

"_**Heads up, guys," Jason interrupted. "We got company!"**_

_**Leo looked below and saw what Jason meant. Rising from the top of the tower were two winged figures—angry angels, with nasty-looking swords.**_

"Boreads." Athena finished.

Aphrodite shivered. She hated them. They thought they were all that just because they were a part of the first _Argo_'s journey.

_**Festus didn't like the angel guys. He swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared, and made a rumbling sound in his throat that Leo recognized. He was getting ready to blow fire.**_

"_**Steady, boy," Leo muttered. Something told him the angels would not take kindly to getting torched.**_

"Yeah, that won't be so good." Hermes winced. "Remember that other time-"

Apollo looked sick. "Dude, we also said we wouldn't speak of that as well. And that was even worse than what those nymphs did to us."

Hermes looked sick as well.

Athena face palmed. "One more time that I hear of you two and fire, and I'm taking away your fire privileges for 50 years." She said.

"_**I don't like this," Jason said. "They look like storm spirits."**_

_**At first Leo thought he was right, but as the angels got closer, he could see they were much more solid than venti. They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might've been brothers, but they definitely weren't twins.**_

_**One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. The guy clearly had been in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.**_

Aphrodite shivered.

_**The other guy looked like he'd just stepped off one of Leo's mom's 1980s rock album covers—Journey, maybe, or Hall &amp; Oates, or something even lamer.**_

Esperanza blushed when everyone turned to look at her. "What? It's good music." She defended.

_**His ice-white hair was long and feathered into a mullet. He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and a god-awful silk shirt with the top three buttons open.**_

Aphrodite looked sick. Her face turned green and she looked about to throw up.

_**Maybe he thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds, and he had a bad case of acne.**_

"I'm sorry. I can't-" Aphrodite got up and ran from the room.

"Should we?" Sally asked.

Demeter read a bit further. "No. If we wait she will only throw up again. Hopefully we will be done with the description by the time she gets back. So . . ."

_**The angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered there, swords at the ready.**_

_**The hockey ox grunted. "No clearance."**_

"'_**Scuse me?" Leo said.**_

"_**You have no flight plan on file," explained the groovy love god. On top of his other problems, he had a French accent so bad Leo was sure it was fake. "This is restricted airspace."**_

Aphrodite walked back into the room. "Is it over?" She asked.

Tristan nodded. He looked a bit sick as well. "Yeah, it's done."

Aphrodite looked relieved. She sat down on her throne. She looked over at Demeter.

"_**Destroy them?" The ox showed off his gap-toothed grin.**_

_**The dragon began to hiss steam, ready to defend them. Jason summoned his golden sword, but Leo cried, "Hold on! Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"**_

"Oh, don't get him started." Hermes groaned.

At the looks he got he waved away, sure of what was going to happen next.

"_**I am Cal!" the ox grunted. He looked very proud of himself, like he'd taken a long time to memorize that sentence.**_

"_**That's short for Calais," the love god said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables—"**_

"_**Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.**_

Athena looked appalled. "He literally destroyed all of his brain cells." She was in shock. "He literally smashed himself dumb."

"—_**which includes his own name," the love god finished.**_

"_**I am Cal," Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"**_

"_**Wow," Leo said. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."**_

_**Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.**_

"_**Stupid buffoon," his brother grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the lady there—" He winked at Piper, but the wink was more like a facial seizure.**_

Aphrodite looked sick again.

"_**She can call me anything she likes. Perhaps she would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?"**_

_**Piper made a sound like gagging on a cough drop. "That's … a truly horrifying offer."**_

Aphrodite looked thoughtful. "That could work."

Athena looked curious. "What could work?"

"If Piper flirts with him, she can make him like her, she can use her charmspeak easier that way." Aphrodite explained her thoughts.

Athena looked impressed. "Yeah, that could work."

Aphrodite smiled. "See, not an airhead."

"_**It is no problem." Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. "We are a very romantic people, we Boreads."**_

"_**Boreads?" Jason cut in. "Do you mean, like, the sons of Boreas?"**_

"_**Ah, so you've heard of us!" Zethes looked pleased. "We are our father's gatekeepers. So you understand, we cannot have unauthorized people flying in his airspace on creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortal peoples."**_

The mortals looked offended.

_**He pointed below, and Leo saw that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up—not with alarm, yet—more with confusion and annoyance, like the dragon was a traffic helicopter flying too low.**_

"That is probably true." Athena said.

"_**Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face,**_

Aphrodite shivered.

"_**we will have to destroy you painfully."**_

"_**Destroy!" Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Leo thought necessary.**_

"_**Wait!" Piper said. "This is an emergency landing."**_

"_**Awww!" Cal looked so disappointed, Leo almost felt sorry for him.**_

_**Zethes studied Piper, which of course he'd already been doing. "How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?"**_

"_**We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" She forced a smile, which Leo figured must've been killing her; but she still had that blessing of Aphrodite thing going on, and she looked great. Something about her voice, too—Leo found himself believing every word. Jason was nodding, looking absolutely convinced.**_

Tristan groaned. "This charmspeak will get her trouble, won't it?"

Aphrodite nodded sadly. "Sometime, yes."

_**Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough.**_

Aphrodite looked sick again.

"_**Well … I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—"**_

All the goddess growled. "That snow witch!" They snarled.

"_**And our dragon is malfunctioning!" Piper added. "It could crash any minute!"**_

_**Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below.**_

"_**No destroy?" Cal whimpered.**_

_**Zethes pondered the problem. Then he gave Piper another spasmodic wink.**_

Aphrodite was too mad to be sick at this.

"_**Well, you are pretty. I mean, you're right. A malfunctioning dragon—this could be an emergency."**_

"_**Destroy them later?" Cal offered, which was probably as close to friendly as he ever got.**_

"_**It will take some explaining," Zethes decided. "Father has not been kind to visitors lately.**_

"Wait? What?" asked Tristan.

No one answered.

_**But, yes. Come, faulty dragon people. Follow us."**_

_**The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts—or at least Leo thought they were weapons. Then the Boreads switched them on, and Leo realized they were flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys use on a runway. Cal and Zethes turned and swooped toward the hotel's tower.**_

_**Leo turned to his friends. "I love these guys. Follow them?"**_

Esperanza shook her head fondly.

_**Jason and Piper didn't look eager.**_

"_**I guess," Jason decided. "We're here now. But I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors."**_

"_**Pfft, he just hasn't met us." Leo whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights!"**_

_**As they got closer, Leo worried they'd crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.**_

"_**This cannot be good," Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and they swooped in after the Boreads.**_

"It's not." The gods murmured.

_**They landed in what must have been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening. When Leo slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under his feet. A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles. As for the stairs, Leo was sure he'd slip and break his neck if he tried to climb them.**_

Esperanza paled. "Please don't climb them." She mumbled.

"_**Guys," Leo said, "fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."**_

"_**Not me." Jason looked uneasily at the staircase. "Something feels wrong. Something up there …"**_

"Trust your instincts Jason." Hera muttered.

_**Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.**_

"_**No, no, no." Zethes marched over, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Leo had no idea. "The dragon must be deactivated.**_

Hephaestus grumbled a little at that.

_**We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."**_

_**Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.**_

"Yeah, that's how we feel." Aphrodite grumbled.

"'_**S'okay, boy." Leo turned to Zethes. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."**_

"_**Destroy?" Cal suggested.**_

"_**No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait."**_

"_**Leo," Piper said nervously, "what are you—"**_

"_**Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others … Ah, here we go."**_

"So . . . the dragon has different things he can do with different buttons?" Tristan asked, interrupting Demeter who huffed.

Hephaestus nodded. "Leo was right, there are some that you don't want to know what they do. But others . . . if I'm right, the one Leo will do should work."

Tristan looked back at Demeter.

Demeter was staring a little angrily at Tristan.

Tristan wondered why for a moment, then he got it. "Oh. I'm sorry, Lady Demeter for interrupting you." .

Demeter beamed. "Thank you. See, this boy has some manners."

"Yeah, because you weren't staring at him." Apollo said.

Demeter ignored him and continued reading.

_**Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase.**_

"Cool." Esperanza said.

_**Leo tried to lift it, but the thing weighed about six billion pounds. "Um … yeah. Hold on. I think—aha."**_

_**He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.**_

"Convenient as well." Esperanza added.

"_**Ta-da!" he announced. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"**_

"_**That's impossible," Jason said. "Something that big couldn't—"**_

"_**Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.**_

"Why are they doing that?" Esperanza asked, worriedly.

"They can probably smell the fire in his blood." Hephaestus explained.

_**Leo raised his hands. "Okay … what'd I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't have to take the dragon as carry-on—"**_

"_**Who are you?" Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo's chest. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"**_

Hephaestus looked offended. "He is not a child of that fool. He is my child." He said proudly.

Demeter rolled her eyes.

"_**What? No!" Leo said. "Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"**_

_**Cal growled. He put his face up to Leo's, and he definitely wasn't any prettier at point-blank, with his bruised eyes and bashed-in mouth. "Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."**_

"See." Hephaestus said.

"No one contradicted you." Apollo mumbled. He said it so quietly that no one could hear. He hated having his mouth covered.

"_**Oh." Leo's heart raced. "Yeah, well … my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil, and—"**_

"_**No!" Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. "We can smell fire, demigod. We assumed it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire … on you."**_

_**If it hadn't been like three degrees in the penthouse, Leo would've started sweating. "Hey … look … I don't know—" He glanced at his friends desperately. "Guys, a little help?"**_

_**Jason already had his gold coin in his hand. He stepped forward, his eyes on Zethes. "Look, there's been a mistake. Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy."**_

"Leo Valdez. You better not lie to them." Esperanza scolded.

"_**Um …"**_

"_**Zethes?" Piper tried her dazzling smile again, though she looked a little too nervous and cold to pull it off. "We're all friends here. Put down your swords and let's talk."**_

"_**The girl is pretty," Zethes admitted, "and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness; but sadly, I cannot romance her at this time."**_

Aphrodite looked sick.

_**He poked his sword point farther into Leo's chest, and Leo could feel the frost spreading across his shirt, turning his skin numb.**_

_**He wished he could reactivate Festus. He needed some backup. But it would've taken several minutes, even if he could reach the button, with two purple-winged crazy guys in his path.**_

"_**Destroy him now?" Cal asked his brother.**_

_**Zethes nodded. "Sadly, I think—"**_

"No." Esperanza muttered, desperately.

"_**No," Jason insisted.**_

"Thank you Jason." Esperanza said.

_**He sounded calm enough, but Leo figured he was about two seconds away from flipping that coin and going into full gladiator mode. "Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. He's no threat. Piper here is a daughter of Aphrodite. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful …"**_

_**Jason's voice faltered, because both Boreads had suddenly turned on him.**_

Zeus flipped to Jupiter. "They better not attack him or I'll-" He voice cut off as he switched back to Zeus. He clutched his head. "Ow." Zeus said. "Demeter." He urged.

Demeter complied.

"_**What did you say?" Zethes demanded. "You are the son of Zeus?"**_

"_**Um … yeah," Jason said. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."**_

_**Cal looked so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. "Can't be Jason," he said. "Doesn't look the same." **_

"I'm amazed he even recognizes that much." Athena stated.

_**Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason's face. "No, he is not our Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me—but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago."**_

"_**Wait," Jason said. "Your Jason … you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"**_

Hera snorted.

"What's so funny?" asked Apollo.

"Just imagine what Jason would do if he heard that. He would probably go on a rant." Hera snickered.

The other gods thought about it for a moment the busted up laughing. When they all calmed down, Demeter started reading.

"_**Of course," Zethes said. "We were his crewmates aboard his ship, the Argo, in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."**_

"_**Hockey!" Cal agreed.**_

"_**But Jason—our Jason—he died a mortal death," Zethes said. "You can't be him."**_

"_**I'm not," Jason agreed.**_

"_**So, destroy?" Cal asked. Clearly the conversation was giving his two brain cells a serious workout.**_

Athena looked horrified.

"_**No," Zethes said regretfully. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."**_

"_**Watching for?" Leo asked. "You mean like in a good way: you'll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or watching for like in a bad way: he's in trouble?"**_

"Hopefully the good way." Beryl muttered.

_**A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."**_

The goddesses growled.

"That snow witch." Some hissed again.

_**Leo looked up the staircase. His heart nearly stopped. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendliness. But it didn't matter. Leo was in love. She was the most dazzling girl he'd ever seen.**_

Some gods and goddesses looked at Aphrodite.

Aphrodite looked furious. "I would never, I mean never pair anyone up with that witch. Unless I absolutely hated them that is. I hate her. He probably is only looking at the outside. Remember sometimes snow could be pretty. Other times, it is cold and nasty."

The others nodded.

_**Then she looked at Jason and Piper, and seemed to understand the situation immediately.**_

"_**Father will want to see the one called Jason," the girl said.**_

"_**Then it is him?" Zethes asked excitedly.**_

"What do they want with him?" Beryl asked. "Why are they waiting for a son of Zeus to show up?"

"I don't exactly know. We will have to wait and see." Zeus answered.

"_**We'll see," the girl said. "Zethes, bring our guests."**_

_**Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase. He wasn't sure how he'd lug it up the stairs, but he had to get next to that girl and ask her some important questions—like her e-mail address and phone number.**_

_**Before he could take a step, she froze him with a look. Not literally froze, but she might as well have.**_

"_**Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.**_

"Why did she ask him to stay behind?" asked Esperanza.

"Because he's fire and they are all about snow and ice." Athena explained.

_**In the back of his mind, Leo wondered how she knew his name; but mostly he was just concentrating on how crushed he felt.**_

"_**Why not?" He probably sounded like a whiny kindergartner, but he couldn't help it.**_

"_**You cannot be in the presence of my father," the girl said. "Fire and ice—it would not be wise."**_

Athena looked insulted.

"_**We're going together," Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder, "or not at all."**_

Esperanza breathed a sigh of relief. At least her _mijo_ has good friends.

_**The girl tilted her head, like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."**_

_**Cal pouted. "Just a little?"**_

"_**No," the girl insisted. "And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgment."**_

The gods frowned. Why was Boreas acting this way? The only ones who knew for sure was Aphrodite. Zeus was partly sure and Hephaestus was just a tiny bit sure.

_**Jason and Piper looked at Leo, their expressions asking him a silent question: How do you want to play this?**_

_**Leo felt a surge of gratitude. They were ready to fight for him. They wouldn't leave him alone with the hockey ox. Part of him wanted to go for it, bust out his new tool belt and see what he could do, maybe even summon a fireball or two and warm this place up. But the Boread guys scared him. And that gorgeous girl scared him more, even if he still wanted her number.**_

"_**It's fine, guys," he said. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."**_

Esperanza looked worried.

"_**Listen to your friend," the pale girl said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."**_

"Done." Demeter said.

"Okay. Time for bed." Hera got up and started walking out of the room. "Follow me."

She led the mortal parents through the halls of Olympus to what appeared to be a new palace.

"This is the place for visitors. There are separate rooms for everyone." Hera led them down the halls pointing out each room. "Breakfast will be served in the throne room at 8 am. Have a good night." Hera walked out the front door.

Sally looked at everyone. "What would you guys like to do?"

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired. I would like some sleep." Frederick said.

The others nodded. "So would we. It's been a long day."

Sally nodded and went off to her room.

In the morning, after breakfast, they settled down to read.

"I'll start the morning off." Hera said. "_**Chapter 19 Jason."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**I don't own this. Enjoy**_

* * *

_**JASON DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE LEO, but he was starting to think that hanging out with Cal the hockey jock might be the least dangerous option in this place.**_

The gods nodded. It very well could be.

_**As they climbed the icy staircase, Zethes stayed behind them, his blade drawn. The guy might've looked like a disco-era reject, but there was nothing funny about his sword. Jason figured one hit from that thing would probably turn him into a Popsicle.**_

_**Then there was the ice princess. Every once in a while she'd turn and give Jason a smile, but there was no warmth in her expression. She regarded Jason like he was an especially interesting science specimen—one she couldn't wait to dissect.**_

The goddesses looked angry.

"I hate that witch." Athena said.

Aphrodite looked torn. On the one hand she hated her. On the other hand, one of her most favorite love stories wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her. She sighed. No one noticed, except for a certain god.

_**If these were Boreas's kids, Jason wasn't sure he wanted to meet Daddy. Annabeth had told him Boreas was the friendliest of the wind gods. Apparently that meant he didn't kill heroes quite as fast as the others did.**_

"Usually he is a lot more friendlier. I wonder what happened to make him like this." Athena mused.

_**Jason worried that he'd led his friends into a trap. If things went bad, he wasn't sure he could get them out alive. Without thinking about it, he took Piper's hand for reassurance.**_

Aphrodite squealed at this.

_**She raised her eyebrows, but she didn't let go.**_

"_**It'll be fine," she promised. "Just a talk, right?"**_

_**At the top of the stairs, the ice princess looked back and noticed them holding hands. Her smile faded. Suddenly Jason's hand in Piper's turned ice cold—burning cold. He let go, and his fingers were smoking with frost. So were Piper's.**_

Yup. Aphrodite now hated her. Treating her daughter like that.

"_**Warmth is not a good idea here," the princess advised, "especially when I am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way."**_

Athena looked frustrated. She just couldn't figure this out.

_**Piper gave him a nervous frown like, What was that about?**_

_**Jason didn't have an answer. Zethes poked him in the back with his icicle sword, and they followed the princess down a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries.**_

_**Freezing winds blew back and forth, and Jason's thoughts moved almost as fast. He'd had a lot of time to think while they rode the dragon north, but he felt as confused as ever.**_

_**Thalia's picture was still in his pocket, though he didn't need to look at it anymore. Her image had burned itself into his mind.**_

Beryl smiled, then she thought of something. "I wonder if Thalia is going to be in this. The book sure is bringing her up a lot."

Artemis smiled at the mention of her Hunters. "Spoilers." was all she said.

Apollo groaned.

_**It was bad enough not remembering his past, but to know he had a sister out there somewhere who might have answers and to have no way of finding her—that just drove him up the wall.**_

_**In the picture, Thalia looked nothing like him. They both had blue eyes, but that was it. Her hair was black. Her complexion was more Mediterranean. Her facial features were sharper—like a hawk's.**_

Zeus huffed, offended.

_**Still, Thalia looked so familiar. Hera had left him just enough memory that he could be certain Thalia was his sister. But Annabeth had acted completely surprised when he'd told her, like she'd never heard of Thalia's having a brother. Did Thalia even know about him? **_

Hermes opened his mouth but Hera kept reading.

_**How had they been separated?**_

_**Hera had taken those memories. She'd stolen everything from Jason's past, plopped him into a new life, and now she expected him to save her from some prison just so he could get back what she'd taken. It made Jason so angry, he wanted to walk away, let Hera rot in that cage: but he couldn't. He was hooked. He had to know more, and that made him even more resentful.**_

"That's not good." a few gods murmured.

"_**Hey." Piper touched his arm. "You still with me?"**_

"_**Yeah … yeah, sorry."**_

_**He was grateful for Piper. He needed a friend, and he was glad she'd started losing the Aphrodite blessing. The makeup was fading. Her hair was slowly going back to its old choppy style with the little braids down the sides. It made her look more real, and as far as Jason was concerned, more beautiful.**_

Tristan smiled a little.

_**He was sure now that they'd never known each other before the Grand Canyon. Their relationship was just a trick of the Mist in Piper's mind. But the longer he spent with her, the more he wished it had been real.**_

Aphrodite smiled happily.

_**Stop that, he told himself. It wasn't fair to Piper, thinking that way. Jason had no idea what was waiting for him back in his old life—or who might be waiting. But he was pretty sure his past wouldn't mix with Camp Half-Blood.**_

"That's for sure." Muttered a few people.

_**After this quest, who knew what would happen? Assuming they even survived.**_

_**At the end of the hallway they found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. Jason was pretty sure he'd seen maps like this before. But in this version, all the wind guys were Winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world.**_

_**The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered, and Jason felt like he was a Christmas present she was hoping to open.**_

Even Beryl was now snarling at this.

"_**This is the throne room," she said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be … chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."**_

_**Jason guessed this girl's definition of fun was not the same as his.**_

Hermes snorted.

"_**Um, okay," he managed. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterward."**_

_**The girl smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."**_

_**Piper rested her hand on her dagger. "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and we don't even know who you are. What's your name?"**_

"What _is_ her name?" asked Emily.

"I think it's Khione." Sally said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure though."

"Yes. That's the snow witch." Aphrodite confirmed.

"Why don't you guys like her?" asked Maria.

"You'll see." Athena said distastefully.

_**The girl sniffed with distaste. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me. Even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow."**_

_**She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her—big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton.**_

"_**Now, come," Khione said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. "Hopefully you will survive your little talk."**_

"Done." Hera said.

"I'll read." A voice spoke up.

"Are you sure brother." Hera asked.

"Well, it either me or Dionysus who hasn't and I prefer a Jason Chapter to a Piper chapter." Hades said.

Hera skimmed through the book. She paused at something. "Actually, it would be better if one of the mortals read this bit. Ms. Jackson?" Hera asked.

Sally looked up. "Yes, Lady Hera?"

"Would you like to read? I think you were the only one who read a half chapter." Hera offered.

Sally got up and took the book. "Sure. _**Chapter 20 Jason."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**IF THE ENTRY HALL HAD BEEN COLD, the throne room was like a meat locker.**_

_**Mist hung in the air. Jason shivered, and his breath steamed. Along the walls, purple tapestries showed scenes of snowy forests, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of colored light—the aurora borealis—pulsed along the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, so Jason had to step carefully. All around the room stood life-size ice sculpture warriors—some in Greek armor, some medieval, some in modern camouflage—all frozen in various attack positions, swords raised, guns locked and loaded.**_

The gods looked angry. That's where their kids have ended up over the years.

_**At least Jason thought they were sculptures. Then he tried to step between two Greek spearmen, and they moved with surprising speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they crossed their javelins to block Jason's path.**_

The mortals looked angry as well. "They're alive?" asked Frederick.

"Sort of. They are dead but their brain functions are still there, still obeying Boreas." Athena explained.

Some of the mortals still looked confused.

"Basically, they are brain dead." Apollo said.

The mortals nodded. Then they looked sad. Their poor parents.

_**From the far end of the hall, a man's voice rang out in a language that sounded like French. The room was so long and misty, Jason couldn't see the other end; but whatever the man said, the ice guards uncrossed their javelins.**_

"_**It's fine," Khione said. "My father has ordered them not to kill you just yet."**_

"Oh, fantastic." Beryl said sarcastically.

"_**Super," Jason said.**_

_**Zethes prodded him in the back with his sword. "Keep moving, Jason Junior."**_

The gods snickered.

"_**Please don't call me that."**_

"_**My father is not a patient man," Zethes warned, "and the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hairdo very fast.**_

"That's not good." Aphrodite mumbled.

_**Later, perhaps, I can lend her something from my wide assortment of hair products."**_

"_**Thanks," Piper grumbled.**_

_**They kept walking, and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was sturdily built, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beard were encrusted with icicles, so Jason couldn't tell if his hair was gray or just white with frost. His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly than his daughter's—as if he might have a sense of humor buried somewhere under that permafrost. Jason hoped so.**_

"He does, but it's a twisted one." Apollo said.

"_**Bienvenu," the king said. "Je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?"**_

Sally stumbled over the French.

"What does that mean?" asked Maria.

"It means _Welcome. I am Boreas the King. And you?_" Aphrodite said. "Piper should understand him."

"Piper can speak French?" asked Tristan. "How? She never learnt it."

"French is the language of love. My kids can all understand and speak French because of it." Aphrodite explained.

_**Khione the snow goddess was about to speak, but Piper stepped forward and curtsied.**_

"_**Votre Majesté," she said, " je suis Piper McLean. Et c'est Jason, fils de Zeus."**_

Everyone looked to Aphrodite who sighed. "She said _Your Majesty. I'm Piper Mclean. This is Jason, son of Zeus._"

They nodded.

_**The king smiled with pleasant surprise. "Vous parlez français? Très bien!"**_

"He said _You speak french? Very good._" Aphrodite said without looking up.

"_**Piper, you speak French?" Jason asked. Piper frowned. "No. Why?" "You just spoke French." Piper blinked. "I did?" The king said something else, and Piper nodded. "Oui, Votre Majesté."**_

"_Yes, your majesty._"

_**The king laughed and clapped his hands, obviously delighted. He said a few more sentences then swept his hand toward his daughter as if shooing her away.**_

Athena laughed. She could guess what he had said.

_**Khione looked miffed. "The king says—"**_

"_**He says I'm a daughter of Aphrodite," Piper interrupted, "so naturally I can speak French, which is the language of love. I had no idea. His Majesty says Khione won't have to translate now."**_

Now the others laughed.

_**Behind them, Zethes snorted, and Khione shot him a murderous look. She bowed stiffly to her father and took a step back.**_

_**The king sized up Jason, and Jason decided it would be a good idea to bow. "Your Majesty, I'm Jason Grace. Thank you for, um, not killing us. May I ask … why does a Greek god speak French?"**_

Hermes was about to answer when Sally said, "It says here, Lord Hermes."

Hermes nodded.

_**Piper had another exchange with the king.**_

"_**He speaks the language of his host country," Piper translated. "He says all gods do this. Most Greek gods speak English, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. His domain was always far to the north. These days he likes Quebec, so he speaks French."**_

Emily looked up at this. "So that's why there's a lot of snow in Quebec." She said softly.

_**The king said something else, and Piper turned pale.**_

"_**The king says …" She faltered. "He says—"**_

"_**Oh, allow me," Khione said. "My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I not mention that earlier?"**_

There was an explosion of anger.

"Who would give him orders to kill demigods?" asked Esperanza.

The gods froze. "Aeolus." They growled.

When everything was quiet, Sally continued to read.

_**Jason tensed. The king was still smiling amiably, like he'd just delivered great news.**_

"_**Kill us?" Jason said. "Why?"**_

"_**Because," the king said, in heavily accented English, "my lord Aeolus has commanded it."**_

Some gods looked angry.

_**Boreas rose. He stepped down from his throne and furled his wings against his back. As he approached, Khione and Zethes bowed. Jason and Piper followed their example.**_

"_**I shall deign to speak your language," Boreas said, "as Piper McLean has honored me in mine. Toujours, I have had a fondness for the children of Aphrodite. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus**_

"He better not." Zeus said dangerously.

… _**without first hearing you out."**_

Zeus looked very angry. The smell of ozone was in the air.

_**Jason's gold coin seemed to grow heavy in his pocket. If he were forced to fight, he didn't like his chances. Two seconds at least to summon his blade. Then he'd be facing a god, two of his children, and an army of freeze-dried warriors.**_

"_**Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?" Jason asked. "Why would he want us dead?"**_

"_**You are demigods," Boreas said, as if this explained everything. "Aeolus's job is to contain the winds,**_

Athena looked like she had figured something out. "The battle with Typhon." She said. "Guys, the battle with Typhon. When we fought him the first time he released storm spirits. We sent Aeolus to gather them up. Now when we fought him again . . ."

"He released another wave of storm spirits. And now he's mad at us so he's taking it out on demigods." Apollo finished. "Wow. So, looks like he won't change his mind anytime soon. I bet he has forgotten about it."

Hermes nodded. "So would I."

They all looked to Sally.

_**and demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleash winds and cause chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer…"**_

_**Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appeared in the air. Images of a battle flickered across the surface—a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river toward the Manhattan skyline. Tiny, glowing figures—the gods, Jason guessed—swarmed around him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally the river erupted in a massive whirlpool, and the smoky form sank beneath the waves and disappeared.**_

"_**The storm giant, Typhon," Boreas explained. "The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits—wild winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus's job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods—they did not help. They did not even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally this irritated him. Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again—"**_

"_**And his death released another wave of venti," Jason guessed. "Which made Aeolus even angrier." **_

Athena nodded. "Exactly."

"_**C'est vrai," Boreas agreed.**_

"That's right." Aphrodite said, absently.

"_**But, Your Majesty," Piper said, "the gods had no choice but to battle Typhon. He was going to destroy Olympus! Besides, why punish demigods for that?"**_

_**The king shrugged. "Aeolus cannot take out his anger on the gods. They are his bosses, and very powerful. So he gets even with the demigods who helped them in the war. He issued orders to us: demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush your little mortal faces."**_

The gods growled.

_**There was an uncomfortable silence.**_

"_**That sounds … extreme," Jason ventured. "But you're not going to crush our faces yet, right? You're going to listen to us first, 'cause once you hear about our quest—"**_

"_**Yes, yes," the king agreed. "You see, Aeolus also said that a son of Zeus might seek my aid, and if this happened, I should listen to you before destroying you, as you might—how did he put it?—make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to listen, however. After that, I am free to pass judgment as I see fit. But I will listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you."**_

The gods sighed in relief.

_**Jason felt like he could almost breathe again. "Great. Thanks."**_

"_**Do not thank me." Boreas smiled. "There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, as you can see."**_

_**He gestured around the room to the various ice statues.**_

Then turned angry again.

_**Piper made a strangled noise. "You mean—they're all demigods? Frozen demigods? They're alive?"**_

"_**An interesting question," Boreas conceded, as if it had never occurred to him before. "They do not move unless they are obeying my orders. The rest of the time, they are merely frozen. Unless they were to melt, I suppose, which would be very messy."**_

_**Khione stepped behind Jason and put her cold fingers on his neck. "My father gives me such lovely presents," she murmured in his ear. "Join our court. Perhaps I'll let your friends go."**_

"Great. The snow witch likes him." Beryl said.

"_**What?" Zethes broke in. "If Khione gets this one, then I deserve the girl. Khione always gets more presents!"**_

"_**Now, children," Boreas said sternly. "Our guests will think you are spoiled! **_

"They are spoiled." Poseidon muttered.

_**Besides, you moved too fast. We have not even heard the demigod's story yet. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us."**_

_**Jason felt his brain shutting down. He didn't look at Piper for fear he'd completely lose it. He'd gotten them into this, and now they were going die—or worse, they'd be amusements for Boreas's children and end up frozen forever in this throne room, slowly corroding from freezer burn.**_

"We wouldn't let you." Aphrodite, Zeus and Hephaestus said.

_**Khione purred and stroked his neck. Jason didn't plan it, but electricity sparked along his skin. There was loud pop, and Khione flew backward, skidding across the floor.**_

Everyone laughed.

_**Zethes laughed. "That is good! I'm glad you did that, even though I have to kill you now."**_

_**For a moment, Khione was too stunned to react. Then the air around her began to swirl with a micro-blizzard. "You dare—"**_

"_**Stop," Jason ordered, with as much force as he could muster. "You're not going to kill us. And you're not going to keep us. We're on a quest for the queen of the gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, **_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

_**you're going to let us go."**_

_**He sounded a lot more confident than he felt, but it got their attention. Khione's blizzard swirled to a stop. Zethes lowered his sword. They both looked uncertainly at their father.**_

"_**Hmm," Boreas said. His eyes twinkled, but Jason couldn't tell if it was with anger or amusement. **_

"Amusement. But again, he has a twisted one." Hermes said.

"_**A son of Zeus, favored by Hera? **_

"Not a first." Hera mumbled.

_**This is definitely a first. Tell us your story."**_

_**Jason would've botched it right there. He hadn't been expecting to get the chance to talk, and now that he could, his voice abandoned him.**_

_**Piper saved him.**_

Beryl breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Piper." She murmured.

"_**Your Majesty." She curtsied again with incredible poise, considering her life was on the line. She told Boreas the whole story, from the Grand Canyon to the prophecy, much better and faster than Jason could have.**_

"_**All we ask for is guidance," Piper concluded. "These storm spirits attacked us, and they're working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera."**_

_**The king stroked the icicles in his beard. Out the windows, night had fallen,**_

"That's not good." Hera said. "They only have two more days to save me. In that time, they need to cross the country, save Mr. Mclean and stop that giant."

The mortals paled.

_**and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue.**_

"_**I know of these storm spirits," Boreas said. "I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took."**_

"_**You mean Coach Hedge?" Jason asked. "He's alive?"**_

The mortal looked happy at this.

_**Boreas waved aside the question. "For now. But the one who controls these storm winds … It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues."**_

"_**Hera's in trouble," Jason said. "In three days she's going to be—I don't know—consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise."**_

"_**Yes," Boreas agreed. Was it Jason's imagination, or did he shoot Khione an angry look?**_

"Not your imagination." Athena muttered.

"_**Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos—your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits—these are only beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades … Olympus has good reason to fear."**_

Hades looked angry at that.

_**Jason wasn't sure what all this meant, but he didn't like the way Khione was smiling—like this was her definition of fun.**_

"_**So you'll help us?" Jason asked the king.**_

_**Boreas scowled. "I did not say that."**_

"_**Please, Your Majesty," Piper said.**_

_**Everyone's eyes turned toward her. She had to be scared out of her mind, but she looked beautiful and confident—and it had nothing to do with the blessing of Aphrodite. She looked herself again, in day-old traveling clothes with choppy hair and no makeup. But she almost glowed with warmth in that cold throne room.**_

Aphrodite beamed. Her daughter was one of the most powerful she had.

"_**If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You'd look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins.**_

"_**She's pretty," Zethes mumbled. "I mean, she's right."**_

"_**Father, don't listen to her," Khione said. "She's a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!"**_

Aphrodite was in a rage.

Artemis put her hand on her shoulder. She whispered a few things to her and she calmed down.

_**Boreas considered this. Jason slipped his hand in his pocket and got ready to bring out the gold coin. If things went wrong, he'd have to move fast.**_

_**The movement caught Boreas's eye. "What is that on your forearm, demigod?"**_

_**Jason hadn't realized his coat sleeve had gotten pushed up, revealing the edge of his tattoo. Reluctantly, he showed Boreas his marks.**_

_**The god's eyes widened. Khione actually hissed and stepped away.**_

Sally read a bit further. She looked at the gods. "You might want to turn into your roman forms." She advised.

The gods looked at each other.

"Better to get it over with sooner than later." Hermes said. He switched over to Mercury.

The other gods shrugged then switched over.

Athena looked miserable. "Do I have to?" She asked.

Jupiter glared at her. "Now, Minerva."

Athena huffed and switched over.

Apollo stood up. "I'll get the introductions started. As you can see, I'm Apollo in either form. Jupiter is at the front. Juno by his side. Neptune would be Percy's father. Ceres is the farming goddess. Mars is the war god. Minerva is Annabeth's mother. Diana is my sis. Vulcan is Leo's father. And meet Venus, everyone. Mercury is the one who switched first. Bacchus is the wine dude. And Pluto is the god of the Underworld." Apollo said. "Am I forgetting anyone. No? Okay. That's everyone. Now, why did we switch?"

Sally cleared her throat and started to read again.

_**Then Boreas did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly, an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne. The god's form began to flicker. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius—a Roman sword like Jason's—hung at his side.**_

"_**Aquilon," Jason said,**_

The gods all oh'ed and ah'ed. "So that why." Jupiter said. "Very clever Ms. Jackson."

_**though where he got the god's Roman name from, he had no idea.**_

_**The god inclined his head. "You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?"**_

_**Jason shifted his feet. "Uh … yes, Your Majesty."**_

"_**And Hera sent you there…" The winter god's eyes were full of mirth. "I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken."**_

Some gods glared at Hera for that.

"_**Jason," Piper said nervously, "why did Boreas change shape? The toga, the wreath. What's going on?"**_

"_**It's his Roman form," Jason said. "But what's going on—I don't know."**_

_**The god laughed. "No, I'm sure you don't. This should be very interesting to watch."**_

"_**Does that mean you'll let us go?" Piper asked.**_

"_**My dear," Boreas said, "there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera's plan fails, which I think it will, you will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again."**_

The gods glowered.

_**Jason felt as if Khione's cold fingers were on his neck again, but it wasn't her—it was just the feeling that Boreas was right. That sense of wrongness which had bothered Jason since he got to Camp Half-Blood, and Chiron's comment about his arrival being disastrous—Boreas knew what they meant.**_

Sally read a bit further and said, "You can switch back now if you like."

All but three gods did. Mars, Jupiter and Pluto stayed in their form. When the other gods looked at them they responded with shrugs.

The other gods rolled their eyes and looked back at Sally.

"Good." Athena muttered. "I hate being Minerva."

"_**I don't suppose you could explain?" Jason asked.**_

"_**Oh, perish the thought! It is not for me to interfere in Hera's plan. No wonder she took your memory." Boreas chuckled, apparently still having a great time imagining demigods tearing each other apart. "You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind god. Unlike my brethren, I've been known to fall in love with mortals. Why, my sons Zethes and Calais started as demigods—"**_

"_**Which explains why they are idiots," Khione growled.**_

"_**Stop it!" Zethes snapped back. "Just because you were born a full goddess—"**_

"_**Both of you, freeze," Boreas ordered.**_

The gods snickered.

_**Apparently, that word carried a lot of weight in the household, because the two siblings went absolutely still. "Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of gods. I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!"**_

Some gods choked on their laughter.

"_**I like the winter festival," Zethes muttered.**_

"_**My point," Boreas snapped, "is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course. Chicago—"**_

"Of course." Frederick muttered. He went off on another tangent.

The mortals ignored him like they were advised to.

"_**Father!" Khione protested.**_

_**Boreas ignored his daughter. "If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."**_

"_**Okay, sure," Jason said. "So Chicago is where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds? She's the one who's trapped Hera?"**_

"_**Ah." Boreas grinned. "Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter."**_

_**Jupiter, Jason noticed. Before, he called me son of Zeus.**_

"He knows your roman, Jason." Beryl murmured.

"_**The one who controls the winds," Boreas continued, "yes, you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant—a servant who is very likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on the earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera's cage—truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you."**_

"_**Father," Khione protested, "you can't simply let them—"**_

"_**I can do what I like," he said, his voice hardening. "I am still master here, am I not?"**_

_**The way Boreas glared at his daughter, it was obvious they had some ongoing argument. Khione's eyes flashed with anger, but she clenched her teeth. "As you wish, Father."**_

"_**Now go, demigods," Boreas said, "before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely."**_

"Thanks for being helpful." Beryl said sarcastically.

_**They all bowed, and the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.**_

_**Back in the entry hall, Cal and Leo were waiting for them. Leo looked cold but unharmed. He'd even gotten cleaned up, and his clothes looked newly washed, like he'd used the hotel's valet service. Festus the dragon was back in normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.**_

_**As Khione led them down the stairs, Jason noticed that Leo's eyes followed her. Leo started combing his hair back with his hands. Uh-oh, Jason thought. He made a mental note to warn Leo about the snow goddess later. She was not someone to get a crush on.**_

The gods all nodded.

_**At the bottom step, Khione turned to Piper. "You have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough."**_

"_**Boreas is right," Jason said. "You're a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess."**_

"Oooh. Bad idea." Hermes said wincing.

_**Khione's eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at a loss for words. She stormed back up the stairs—literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.**_

"While it is satisfying to see her angry, you don't want to make her mad." Apollo said.

"_**Be careful," Zethes warned. "She never forgets an insult."**_

_**Cal grunted in agreement. "Bad sister."**_

"_**She's the goddess of snow," Jason said. "What's she going to do, throw snowballs at us?" But as he said it, Jason had a feeling Khione could do a whole lot worse.**_

"Much worse." Athena said gravely.

_**Leo looked devastated. "What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!"**_

"_**We'll explain later," Piper promised, but when she glanced at Jason, he realized she expected him to explain.**_

_**What had happened up there? Jason wasn't sure. Boreas had turned into Aquilon, his Roman form, as if Jason's presence caused him to go schizophrenic.**_

"That's one way to put it." Apollo said thoughtfully.

_**The idea that Jason had been sent to Camp Half-Blood seemed to amuse the god, but Boreas/Aquilon hadn't let them go out of kindness. Cruel excitement had danced in his eyes, as if he'd just placed a bet on a dogfight.**_

"Oh he certainly had." Dionysus said.

_**You will tear each other apart, he'd said with delight. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again.**_

_**Jason looked away from Piper, trying not to show how unnerved he was. "Yeah," he agreed, "we'll explain later."**_

"_**Be careful, pretty girl," Zethes said. "The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue, in which I could check my reflection."**_

"_**Thanks," Piper said. "But I'd sooner play hockey with Cal."**_

Tristan looked sick. "She doesn't, does she?"

"_**Hockey?" Cal's eyes lit up.**_

"_**Joking," Piper said.**_

"Good." Tristan said.

"_**And the storm winds aren't our worst problem, are they?"**_

"_**Oh, no," Zethes agreed. "Something else. Something worse."**_

"_**Worse," Cal echoed.**_

"_**Can you tell me?" Piper gave them a smile.**_

_**This time, the charm didn't work. The purple-winged Boreads shook their heads in unison. The hangar doors opened onto a freezing starry night, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet, anxious to fly.**_

"_**Ask Aeolus what is worse," Zethes said darkly. "He knows. Good luck."**_

"Wow. That's about as nice as they get." Athena said.

_**He almost sounded like he cared what happened to them, even though a few minutes ago he'd wanted to make Piper into an ice sculpture.**_

_**Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. "Don't get destroyed," he said, which was probably the longest sentence he'd ever attempted. "Next time—hockey. Pizza."**_

"Yep. They definitely like them." Apollo agreed.

"_**Come on, guys." Jason stared out at the dark. He was anxious to get out of that cold penthouse, but he had a feeling it was the most hospitable place they'd see for a while. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."**_

"Done." Sally said.

"Now can I read?" Hades asked.

Sally got up and gave him the book in response.

"_**Chapter 21 Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**I don't own this. Enjoy. **_

* * *

_**PIPER DIDN'T RELAX UNTIL THE GLOW OF Quebec City faded behind them.**_

"_**You were amazing," Jason told her.**_

_**The compliment should've made her day. But all she could think about was the trouble ahead. Evil things are stirring,Zethes had warned them. She knew that firsthand. The closer they got to the solstice, the less time Piper had to make her decision.**_

"Just tell them." Aphrodite mumbled.

_**She told Jason in French: "If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn't think I was so amazing."**_

"_**What'd you say?" he asked.**_

"_**I said I only talked to Boreas. It wasn't so amazing."**_

"Liar." Apollo sang.

Aphrodite glared at him. "Piper is not a liar."

"She just lied." Apollo pointed out.

Aphrodite huffed. "You don't have to point it out."

_**She didn't turn to look, but she imagined him smiling.**_

"_**Hey," he said, "you saved me from joining Khione's sub zero hero collection.**_

"I just love how that rolls off the tongue. Sub Zero Hero collection." Hermes said.

Apollo said it. "I agree."

_**I owe you one."**_

_**That was definitely the easy part, she thought. There was no way Piper would've let that ice witch keep Jason.**_

Aphrodite smiled happily.

_**What bothered Piper more was the way Boreas had changed form, and why he'd let them go. It had something to do with Jason's past, those tattoos on his arm. Boreas assumed Jason was some sort of Roman, and Romans didn't mix with Greeks. She kept waiting for Jason to offer an explanation, but he clearly didn't want to talk about it.**_

_**Until now, Piper had been able to dismiss Jason's feeling that he didn't belong at Camp Half-Blood. Obviously he was a demigod. Of course he belonged. But now … what if he was something else? What if he really was an enemy? She couldn't stand that idea any more than she could stand Khione.**_

Aphrodite's grin got wider.

_**Leo passed them some sandwiches from his pack. He'd been quiet ever since they'd told him what happened in the throne room. "I still can't believe Khione," he said. "She looked so nice."**_

"_**Trust me, man," Jason said. "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."**_

Aphrodite beamed.

"What's got you so happy?" Hephaestus asked in Greek.

"I'm just thinking about Calypso and Leo. They make a good couple, right?" Aphrodite asked timidly. She didn't exactly know what Hephaestus thought about the girl for his son.

Hephaestus went silent for a moment. "I think she's good for him. She pulls him down to earth when his head's in the clouds, she can cheer him up when he feels down. So, yeah. I think she's good for him." Hephaestus said.

Then they noticed the others staring at them.

"What?" asked Aphrodite.

"Oh, please continue." Hades said.

"Continue what?" asked Hephaestus.

"Oh, I don't know maybe continue ignoring us and talking about Leo and his girl, and being completely rude to the mortals here." Hades elaborated.

The two gods blushed. "We are so sorry." Aphrodite said. "I just got excited about something and wanted to talk about it."

"It's alright." Sally said with all of the other mortals nodding behind her.

"Now, can I read or are there going to be more interruptions."Hades asked.

"Keep reading brother." Hera urged.

"Okay, now." Hades began reading again.

_**Piper smiled, but Leo didn't look pleased. He hadn't said much about his time in the palace, or why the Boreads had singled him out for smelling like fire. Piper got the feeling he was hiding something. Whatever it was, his mood seemed to be affecting Festus, who grumbled and steamed as he tried to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air. Happy the Dragon was not so happy.**_

_**They ate their sandwiches as they flew. Piper had no idea how Leo had stocked up on supplies, but he'd even remembered to bring veggie rations for her. The cheese and avocado sandwich was awesome.**_

"That sound good." Demeter said, wistfully.

_**Nobody talked. Whatever they might find in Chicago, they all knew Boreas had only let them go because he figured they were already on a suicide mission.**_

_**The moon rose and stars turned overhead.**_

Artemis smiled softly at the thought of the night sky.

_**Piper's eyes started to feel heavy. The encounter with Boreas and his children had scared her more than she wanted to admit. Now that she had a full stomach, her adrenaline was fading.**_

_**Suck it up, cupcake! Coach Hedge would've yelled at her. Don't be a wimp!**_

_**Piper had been thinking about the coach ever since Boreas mentioned he was still alive. She'd never liked Hedge, **_

Dionysus and Hermes huffed. Hedge was a good satyr.

_**but he'd leaped off a cliff to save Leo, and he'd sacrificed himself to protect them on the skywalk. She now realized that all the times at school the coach had pushed her, yelled at her to run faster or do more push-ups, or even when he'd turned his back and let her fight her own battles with the mean girls, the old goat man had been trying to help her in his own irritating way—trying to prepare her for life as a demigod.**_

See. Hedge is a good satyr, perhaps a little violent, but good.

_**On the skywalk, Dylan the storm spirit had said something about the coach, too: how he'd been retired to Wilderness School because he was getting too old, like it was some sort of punishment. Piper wondered what that was about, and if it explained why the coach was always so grumpy. Whatever the truth, now that Piper knew Hedge was alive, she had a strong compulsion to save him.**_

_**Don't get ahead of yourself, she chided. You've got bigger problems. This trip won't have a happy ending.**_

_**She was a traitor, just like Silena Beauregard.**_

Aphrodite looked down.

"You're not a traitor, Piper. Just tell them." Tristan whispered.

_**It was only a matter of time before her friends found out.**_

_**She looked up at the stars and thought about a night long ago when she and her dad had camped out in front of Grandpa Tom's house. Grandpa Tom had died years before,**_

Tristan looked sad at the mention of his dead father.

_**but Dad had kept his house in Oklahoma because it was where he grew up.**_

_**They'd gone back for a few days, with the idea of getting the place fixed up to sell, although Piper wasn't sure who'd want to buy a run-down cabin with shutters instead of windows and two tiny rooms that smelled like cigars. The first night had been so stifling hot—no air conditioning in the middle of August—that Dad suggested they sleep outside.**_

Aphrodite shuddered at that. "Who likes sleeping outside?" she asked.

"I do." Artemis said.

"So do I." Apollo said.

Aphrodite shuddered again. "More power to you then. I hate it."

The archer twins smirked.

_**They'd spread their sleeping bags and listened to the cicadas buzzing in the trees. Piper pointed out the constellations she'd been reading about—Hercules, Apollo's lyre, Sagittarius the centaur.**_

The gods smiled at the mention of the constellations.

_**Her dad crossed his arms behind his head. In his old T-shirt and jeans he looked like just another guy from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a Cherokee who might've never left tribal lands. "Your grandpa would say those Greek patterns are a bunch of bull.**_

The gods looked offended. Their stars were not bull.

_**He told me the stars were creatures with glowing fur, like magic hedgehogs. Once, long ago, some hunters even captured a few in the forest. They didn't know what they'd done until nighttime, when the star creatures began to glow. Golden sparks flew from their fur, so the Cherokee released them back into the sky."**_

"_**You believe in magic hedgehogs?" Piper asked.**_

"Do you?" Hermes asked.

"I- I don't know what to believe anymore." Tristan said softly. "I thought you guys weren't real and now . . .? I just don't know what to believe."

Hermes sobered up at that. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Tristan said. "I just need to think for a while."

"When we finish one book we can take a half day break to think and reflect on what we've read." Zeus said.

The mortals nodded thankfully. They really needed breaks.

_**Her dad laughed. "I think Grandpa Tom was full of bull, too, just like the Greeks. But it's a big sky. I suppose there's room for Hercules and hedgehogs."**_

_**They sat for a while, until Piper got the nerve to ask a question that had been bugging her. "Dad, why don't you ever play Native American parts?"**_

"Yeah, why don't you?" asked Sally. In all of the movies she has seen with him in them, she never saw him play a Native American role.

Tristan opened his mouth but Hades cut him off. "It says further on. If you would just be patient Ms. Jackson."

Sally nodded.

_**The week before, he'd turned down several million dollars to play Tonto in a remake of The Lone Ranger. Piper was still trying to figure out why. He'd played all kinds of roles—a Latino teacher in a tough L.A. school, a dashing Israeli spy in an action-adventure blockbuster, even a Syrian terrorist in a James Bond movie. And, of course, he would always be known as the King of Sparta. But if the part was Native American—it didn't matter what kind of role it was—Dad turned it down.**_

_**He winked at her. "Too close to home, Pipes. Easier to pretend I'm something I'm not."**_

Tristan looked sad.

"_**Doesn't that get old? Aren't you ever tempted, like, if you found the perfect part that could change people's opinions?"**_

"_**If there's a part like that, Pipes," he said sadly, "I haven't found it."**_

_**She looked at the stars, trying to imagine them as glowing hedgehogs. All she saw were the stick figures she knew—Hercules running across the sky, on his way to kill monsters. Dad was probably right. The Greeks and the Cherokee were equally crazy. The stars were just balls of fire.**_

"Not exactly, girl." Hephaestus mumbled.

"_**Dad," she said, "if you don't like being close to home, why are we sleeping in Grandpa Tom's yard?"**_

_**His laughter echoed in the quiet Oklahoma night. "I think you know me too well, Pipes."**_

"_**You're not really going to sell this place, are you?"**_

"_**Nope," he sighed. "I'm probably not."**_

_**Piper blinked, shaking herself out of the memory. She realized she'd been falling asleep on the dragon's back. How could her dad pretend to be so many things he wasn't? She was trying to do that now, and it was tearing her apart.**_

"It tears me apart too, Pipes." Tristan whispered.

_**Maybe she could pretend for a little while longer. She could dream of finding a way to save her father without betraying her friends—even if right now a happy ending seemed about as likely as magic hedgehogs.**_

_**She leaned back against Jason's warm chest. He didn't complain. As soon she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.**_

_**In her dream, she was back on the mountaintop.**_

Everyone shivered. "Why?" A few asked.

_**The ghostly purple bonfire cast shadows across the trees. Piper's eyes stung from smoke, and the ground was so warm, the soles of her boots felt sticky.**_

The gods looked upset.

Frederick frowned. The earth being sticky . . . He gasped. "No!" He said out loud. "They're fighting the earth mother!" He exclaimed.

The other mortals gasped as well. Queen Marie looked sad.

"The earth itself. They are fighting the earth." Sally whispered. Her poor Percy. She hoped he was alright.

The gods nodded. "Yes. This recent war was between the demigods and the Earth Mother." Athena said.

The mortals looked worried. Sally pulled herself together. "Guys. They won. We will win." Sally reminded.

"Yeah, but how much do we lose as well." Emily asked.

"Don't think of that. We can change things, right?" Sally asked the gods.

Esperanza looked hopeful.

"I think we can-" There was a boom and a paper fell from mid air onto Athena's lap. "It's from the Fates." She said scanning the letter. "It says:

'_You can change some things. Like parent's deaths and such, but some things must stay the same like Percy and Annabeth's fate. They must fall.'_"

Athena's face went white at hearing that. She steeled herself and continued reading the note out loud.

'_We will be bringing in more people soon. Enjoy your reading. Signed The Fates.'_"

"Percy and Annabeth's fate? Falling? What is their fate?" asked Frederick.

Athena looked sick. "No. We won't tell you. And Frederick? I urge you to not figure it out. It will come all in due time. Now, Uncle?" Athena said firmly.

Hades picked the book back up.

_**A voice from the dark rumbled, "You forget your duty."**_

_**Piper couldn't see him, but it was definitely her least favorite giant—the one who called himself Enceladus. She looked around for any sign of her father, but the pole where he'd been chained was no longer there.**_

"_**Where is he?" she demanded. "What've you done with him?"**_

_**The giant's laugh was like lava hissing down a volcano. "His body is safe enough, though I fear the poor man's mind can't take much more of my company. For some reason he finds me—disturbing. You must hurry, girl, or I fear there will be little left of him to save."**_

Tristan looked pale.

"_**Let him go!" she screamed. "Take me instead. He's just a mortal!"**_

"_**But, my dear," the giant rumbled, "we must prove our love for our parents. That's what I'm doing. Show me you value your father's life by doing what I ask. Who's more important—your father, or a deceitful goddess who used you, toyed with your emotions, manipulated your memories, eh? What is Hera to you?"**_

_**Piper began to tremble. So much anger and fear boiled inside her, she could hardly talk. "You're asking me to betray my friends."**_

"_**Sadly, my dear, your friends are destined to die.**_

"No they're not." Aphrodite said determinedly.

_**Their quest is impossible. Even if you succeeded, you heard the prophecy: unleashing Hera's rage would mean your destruction. The only question now—will you die with your friends, or live with your father?"**_

_**The bonfire roared. Piper tried to step back, but her feet were heavy. She realized the ground was pulling her down, clinging to her boots like wet sand. When she looked up, a shower of purple sparks had spread across the sky, and the sun was rising in the east. A patchwork of cities glowed in the valley below, and far to the west, over a line of rolling hills, she saw a familiar landmark rising from a sea of fog.**_

"San Francisco?" asked Frederick.

The gods nodded.

"_**Why are you showing me this?" Piper asked. "You're revealing where you are."**_

"_**Yes, you know this place," the giant said. "Lead your friends here instead of their true destination, and I will deal with them. Or even better, arrange their deaths before you arrive. I don't care which. Just be at the summit by noon on the solstice, and you may collect your father and go in peace."**_

"_**I can't," Piper said. "You can't ask me—"**_

"_**To betray that foolish boy Valdez, who always irritated you and is now hiding secrets from you?**_

Esperanza growled. She hoped Piper wouldn't betray him.

_**To give up a boyfriend you never really had? Is that more important than your own father?"**_

"_**I'll find a way to defeat you," Piper said. "I'll save my father and my friends."**_

_**The giant growled in the shadows. "I was once proud too. I thought the gods could never defeat me. Then they hurled a mountain on top of me, crushed me into the ground, where I struggled for eons, half-conscious in pain. That taught me patience, girl. It taught me not to act rashly. Now I've clawed my way back with the help of the waking earth. I am only the first. My brethren will follow. We will not be denied our vengeance—not this time. And you, Piper McLean, need a lesson in humility. I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth."**_

_**The dream dissolved. And Piper woke up screaming, free-falling through the air.**_

"Done." Hades said. "Ares? You haven't read yet. Here." The god tossed the other the book.

Ares looked ready to throw it back when he saw all the faces looking at him. He sighed and started reading. "_**Chapter 22 Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**PIPER TUMBLED THROUGH THE SKY. Far below she saw city lights glimmering in the early dawn, and several hundred yards away the body of the bronze dragon spinning out of control, its wings limp, fire flickering in its mouth like a badly wired light bulb.**_

Esperanza and Tristan gasped. Hephaestus frowned. A good machine ruined slightly by that snow witch. A shame.

_**A body shot past her—Leo, screaming and frantically grabbing at the clouds. "Not coooooool!"**_

Hephaestus shivered at the mention of falling, while Esperanza looked pale.

_**She tried to call to him, but he was already too far below.**_

_**Somewhere above her, Jason yelled, "Piper, level out! Extend your arms and legs!"**_

Athena looked thoughtful. "That could work. A skydiver trick."

_**It was hard to control her fear, but she did what he said and regained some balance. She fell spread-eagle like a skydiver, the wind underneath her like a solid block of ice. Then Jason was there, wrapping his arms around her waist.**_

_**Thank god, Piper thought. But part of her also thought: Great. Second time this week he's hugged me, and both times it's because I'm plummeting to my death.**_

"_**We have to get Leo!" she shouted.**_

"Yes, please save my _mijo_." Esperanza said fervently.

_**Their fall slowed as Jason controlled the winds, but they still lurched up and down like the winds didn't want to cooperate.**_

Zeus frowned. "They should cooperate." He mumbled.

"_**Gonna get rough," Jason warned. "Hold on!"**_

_**Piper locked her arms around him, and Jason shot toward the ground. Piper probably screamed, but the sound was ripped from her mouth. Her vision blurred.**_

_**And then, thump! They slammed into another warm body—Leo, still wriggling and cursing.**_

"_**Stop fighting!" Jason said. "It's me!"**_

"_**My dragon!" Leo yelled.**_

Emily shook her head. "It's already going to be difficult carrying both Leo and Piper, I doubt he has the muscle to carry a full size dragon as well."

"Why are you saying that? Can't he control the air with the others?" Tristan asked.

They looked to Zeus. "No. He can't. He can only control the ones around his body. Carrying one person is okay, but carrying two? Imagine carrying two people on land for about a mile straight. That's how difficult it is to ride the winds carrying two people. I'm shocked Jason has done this so well."

Tristan and Emily nodded. "Now you see why I said that." She whispered to Tristan.

"Can I get back to reading?" Ares said, scowling.

The others nodded.

"Okay, where was I?"

"_**You gotta save Festus!"**_

_**Jason was already struggling to keep the three of them aloft, and Piper knew there was no way he could help a fifty-ton metal dragon. But before she could try to reason with Leo, she heard an explosion below them. A fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex, and Leo sobbed, "Festus!"**_

_**Jason's face reddened with strain as he tried to maintain an air cushion beneath them, but intermittent slow-downs were the best he could manage. Rather than free-falling, it felt like they were bouncing down a giant staircase, a hundred feet at a time,**_

The mortals looked sick to their stomachs at that.

_**which wasn't doing Piper's stomach any favors.**_

_**As they wobbled and zigzagged, Piper could make out details of the factory complex below—warehouses, smokestacks, barbed-wire fences, and parking lots lined with snow-covered vehicles. They were still high enough so that hitting the ground would flatten them into roadkill—or skykill—**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

_**when Jason groaned, "I can't—"**_

_**And they dropped like stones.**_

_**They hit the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed through into darkness.**_

_**Unfortunately, Piper tried to land on her feet.**_

"No." Apollo yelled.

"What is it, Apollo?" asked Ares.

"Don't try to land on your feet from a fall like that. You're likely to break your ankle from doing that." Apollo ran a hand through his hair. "_Stupid girl." _Apollo cursed in Greek.

"Hey!" Aphrodite snapped. "She's not stupid. Look at it from her perspective. She has only just realized she was a demigod and has been at camp less than a day. She hasn't got any training. And all she knows is from reading. Don't call my daughter stupid, Apollo, or I'll make what Zeus did to you look like a walk in the park." Aphrodite snarled. "I'm thinking, no love life for the next 45 years. Not to mention what Tristan would do to you. He has a lot of friends in very high places."

Apollo paled. "I'm sorry, Aphrodite, Mr. Mclean."

Tristan looked stern. "Don't do it again." He warned.

Apollo nodded. "Ares.' He said desperately.

Ares took pity on him.

_**Her feet didn't like that. Pain flared in her left ankle as she crumpled against a cold metal surface.**_

Apollo opened his mouth to comment but Aphrodite stopped him with a glare.

_**For a few seconds she wasn't conscious of anything but pain—pain so bad that her ears rang and her vision went red.**_

Tristan winced.

_**Then she heard Jason's voice somewhere below, echoing through the building. "Piper! Where's Piper?"**_

"_**Ow, bro!" Leo groaned. "That's my back! I'm not a sofa! Piper, where'd you go?"**_

Hermes snickered.

"_**Here," she managed, her voice a whimper.**_

_**She heard shuffling and grunting, then feet pounding on metal steps.**_

_**Her vision began to clear. She was on a metal catwalk that ringed the warehouse interior. Leo and Jason had landed on ground level, and were now coming up the stairs toward her. She looked at her foot, and wave of nausea swept over her. Her toes weren't supposed to point that way, were they?**_

Now Aphrodite and Tristan winced. Apollo wisely kept his mouth shut.

_**Oh, god. She forced herself to look away before she threw up. Focus on something else. Anything else.**_

_**The hole they'd made in the roof was a ragged starburst twenty feet above. How they'd even survived that drop, she had no idea. Hanging from the ceiling, a few electric bulbs flickered dimly, but they didn't do much to light the enormous space. Next to Piper, the corrugated metal wall was emblazoned with a company logo, but it was almost completely spray-painted over with graffiti. Down in the shadowy warehouse, she could make out huge machines, robotic arms, half-finished trucks on an assembly line. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years.**_

Abandoned cars? Why did the sound so familiar? Hermes thought.

_**Jason and Leo reached her side.**_

_**Leo started to ask, "You okay … ?" Then he saw her foot. "Oh no, you're not."**_

"_**Thanks for the reassurance," Piper groaned.**_

"_**You'll be fine," Jason said, though Piper could hear the worry in his voice. "Leo, you got any first aid supplies?"**_

"Why would he have first aid supplies?" Esperanza asked. "He doesn't have a bag with him."

Ares read a bit further. "It says here."

"_**Yeah—yeah, sure." He dug around in his tool belt and pulled out a wad of gauze and a roll of duct tape—both of which seemed too big for the belt's pockets. Piper had noticed the tool belt yesterday morning, but she hadn't thought to ask Leo about it. It didn't look like anything special—just one of those wraparound leather aprons with a bunch of pockets, like a blacksmith or a carpenter might wear. And it seemed to be empty.**_

"_**How did you—" Piper tried to sit up, and winced. "How did pull that stuff from an empty belt?"**_

"_**Magic,"**_

"A magic toolbelt." repeated Esperanza. She looked starry eyed at the thought.

_**Leo said. "Haven't figure it out completely, but I can summon just about any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." He reached into another pocket and pulled out a little tin box. "Breath mint?"**_

_**Jason snatched away the mints. "That's great, Leo. Now, can you fix her foot?"**_

"He's a mechanic, boy, not a healer. That's more Sunshine's kids." Hephaestus said.

"Hey, who you calling mphf." The last part was muffled by the metal duct tape thing again.

Hephaestus sighed. "That's better."

Apollo looked resigned.

"Hephaestus?" Artemis asked. "Can you take it off? Apollo hates having his mouth blocked. Not for the reason you think, but, it's kind of a phobia of his." Artemis said.

Hephaestus looked shocked. He looked closer at Apollo. He noticed that he was slightly shaking and that there was a hint of fear in his eyes. He quickly took it off. "I'm sorry."

Apollo waved it off. "It's fine."

"No it's not." Artemis said. "That goes for all of you. Don't tape or block Apollo's mouth or you will have me to deal with."

Apollo looked touched for a moment. "Thanks little sis."

Artemis didn't comment.

Ares picked up the book.

"_**I'm a mechanic, man. Maybe if she was a car …" He snapped his fingers. "Wait, what was that godly healing stuffthey fed you at camp—Rambo food?"**_

"_**Ambrosia, dummy," Piper said through gritted teeth. "There should be some in my bag, if it's not crushed."**_

"You okay?" Hermes whispered to Apollo.

"I'm fine." He said back softly.

Hermes didn't look convinced. He decided to keep an eye on him.

_**Jason carefully pulled her backpack off her shoulders. He rummaged through the supplies the Aphrodite kids had packed for her, and found a Ziploc full of smashed pastry squares like lemon bars. He broke off a piece and fed it to her.**_

_**The taste was nothing like she expected. It reminded her of Dad's black bean soup from when she was a little girl. He used to feed it to her whenever she got sick.**_

Emily looked a little weirded out. "Why does it taste like that?" She asked.

"It taste like the thing that most likely reminds them of home ambrosia does. And nectar tastes like their favorite food." Apollo explained. "For Piper, it tastes like her Dad's bean soup. That is what reminds her the most of home."

Tristan looked touched at this.

_**The memory relaxed her, though it made her sad. The pain in her ankle subsided.**_

"_**More," she said.**_

_**Jason frowned. "Piper, we shouldn't risk it. They said too much could burn you up. I think I should try to set your foot."**_

_**Piper's stomach fluttered. "Have you ever done that before?"**_

"_**Yeah … I think so."**_

"Well, that's reassuring." Tristan muttered.

_**Leo found an old piece of wood and broke it in half for a splint. Then he got the gauze and duct tape ready.**_

"_**Hold her leg still," Jason told him. "Piper, this is going to hurt."**_

_**When Jason set the foot, Piper flinched so hard she punched Leo in the arm, and he yelled almost as much as she did.**_

Apollo laughed, but it sounded forced to Hermes. "Well, that's one way to deal with pain."

_**When her vision cleared and she could breathe normally again, she found that her foot was pointing the right way, her ankle splinted with plywood, gauze, and duct tape.**_

"_**Ow," she said.**_

"Yep, Ow about covers it." Apollo said cheerfully. But again to Hermes it sounded forced.

"_**Jeez, beauty queen!" Leo rubbed his arm. "Glad my face wasn't there."**_

"_**Sorry," she said. "And don't call me 'beauty queen,' or I'll punch you again."**_

"_**You both did great." Jason found a canteen in Piper's pack and gave her some water. After a few minutes, her stomach began to calm down.**_

_**Once she wasn't screaming in pain, she could hear the wind howling outside. Snowflakes fluttered through the hole in the roof,**_

Snow? Thought Frederick. Why would it be snowing?

_**and after their meeting with Khione, snow was the last thing Piper wanted to see.**_

"_**What happened to the dragon?" she asked. "Where are we?"**_

_**Leo's expression turned sullen. "I don't know with Festus. He just jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall."**_

Esperanza frowned.

_**Piper remembered Enceladus's warning: I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth. Had he managed to strike them down from so far away? It seemed impossible. If he were that powerful, why would he need her to betray her friends when he could just kill them himself? And how could the giant be keeping an eye on her in a snowstorm thousands of miles away?**_

Frederick was thinking hard. What is it about the snow?

_**Leo pointed to the logo on the wall. "As far as where we are …" It was hard to see through the graffiti, but Piper could make out a large red eye with the stenciled words: monocle motors, assembly plant 1.**_

"_**Closed car plant," Leo said. "I'm guessing we crash-landed in Detroit."**_

Hermes winced. Why does that sound familiar?

_**Piper had heard about closed car plants in Detroit, so that made sense. But it seemed like a pretty depressing place to land. "How far is that from Chicago?"**_

_**Jason handed her the canteen. "Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec? The thing is, without the dragon, we're stuck traveling overland."**_

"_**No way," Leo said. "It isn't safe."**_

_**Piper thought about the way the ground had pulled at her feet in the dream, and what King Boreas had said about the earth yielding up more horrors. "He's right. Besides, I don't know if I can walk. And three people—Jason, you can't fly that many across country by yourself."**_

"Definitely not." Zeus said.

"_**No way," Jason said. "Leo, are you sure the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and—"**_

"_**And I might not have repaired him right?" **_

Esperanza looked upset at the mention of Leo. Why was he acting like that? Was it because he believe it was his fault that she was dead? She hoped that the Fates would bring in Leo. Preferably after she was dead. If only for a little bit, just so she could tell him it wasn't his fault.

All this happened in the space of a minute. Ares had taken a pause to breathe.

"_**I didn't say that," Jason protested. "It's just—maybe you could fix it."**_

"_**I don't know." Leo sounded crestfallen. He pulled a few screws out of his pockets and started fiddling with them. "I'd have to find where he landed, if he's even in one piece."**_

"_**It was my fault." Piper said without thinking. She just couldn't stand it anymore. The secret about her father was heating up inside her like too much ambrosia. If she kept lying to her friends, she felt like she'd burn to ashes.**_

"Just tell them." Tristan muttered.

"_**Piper," Jason said gently, "you were asleep when Festus conked out. It couldn't be your fault."**_

"_**Yeah, you're just shaken up," Leo agreed. He didn't even try to make a joke at her expense. "You're in pain. Just rest."**_

_**She wanted to tell them everything, but the words stuck in her throat. They were both being so kind to her. Yet if Enceladus was watching her somehow, saying the wrong thing could get her father killed.**_

Tristan paled.

_**Leo stood. "Look, um, Jason, why don't you stay with her, bro? I'll scout around for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him."**_

"_**It's too dangerous," Jason said. "You shouldn't go by yourself."**_

"Yeah, _mijo_, don't go by yourself." Esperanza whispered.

"_**Ah, I got duct tape and breath mints. I'll be fine," Leo said, a little too quickly, and Piper realized he was a lot more shaken up than he was letting on. "You guys just don't run off without me."**_

_**Leo reached into his magic tool belt, pulled out a flashlight, and headed down the stairs, leaving Piper and Jason alone.**_

_**Jason gave her a smile, though he looked kind of nervous. It was the exact expression he'd had on his face after he'd kissed her the first time, up on the Wilderness School dorm roof**_

Aphrodite sighed happily.

—_**that cute little scar on his lip curving into a crescent. The memory gave her a warm feeling. Then she remembered that the kiss had never really happened.**_

"_**You look better," Jason offered.**_

_**Piper wasn't sure if he meant her foot, or the fact that she wasn't magically beautified anymore. Her jeans were tattered from the fall through the roof. Her boots were splattered with melted dirty snow. She didn't know what her face looked like, but probably horrible.**_

Aphrodite frowned.

_**Why did it matter? She'd never cared about things like that before. She wondered if it was her stupid mother, the goddess of love, messing with her thoughts. If Piper started getting urges to read fashion magazines, she was going to have to find Aphrodite and smack her.**_

Now Aphrodite looked hurt. Artemis leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Aphrodite smiled and nodded.

_**She decided to focus on her ankle instead. As long as she didn't move it, the pain wasn't bad. "You did a good job," she told Jason. "Where'd you learn first aid?"**_

_**He shrugged. "Same answer as always. I don't know."**_

"_**But you're starting to have some memories, aren't you? Like that prophecy in Latin back at camp, or that dream about the wolf."**_

Beryl looked worried. On the one hand that was good he was starting to remember. On the other hand, He still wasn't trusting Piper and Leo that much. She looked inconspicuously at Tristan and Esperanza.

"_**It's fuzzy," he said. "Like déjà vu. Ever forgotten a word or a name, and you know it should be on the tip of your tongue, but it isn't? It's like that—only with my whole life."**_

_**Piper sort of knew what he meant. The last three months—a life she thought she'd had, a relationship with Jason—had turned out to be Mist.**_

Ares sighed. "Do I have to read this?"

"Ares?" Hera said gently. "Everyone has already took a turn except for Dionysus. Please read it. You are almost done."

Are nodded. He reluctantly kept reading.

_**A boyfriend you never really had, Enceladus had said. Is that more important than your own father?**_

_**She should've kept her mouth shut, but she voiced the question that had been on her mind since yesterday.**_

"_**That photo in your pocket," she said. "Is that someone from your past?"**_

Beryl looked sick again.

_**Jason pulled back.**_

"_**I'm sorry," she said. "None of my business. Forget it."**_

"_**No—it's okay." His features relaxed. "Just, I'm trying to figure things out. Her name's Thalia. She's my sister. I don't remember any details. I'm not even sure how I know, but—um, why are you smiling?"**_

Apollo and Hermes laughed.

"_**Nothing." Piper tried to kill the smile. Not an old girlfriend. She felt ridiculously happy. "Um, it's just—that's great you remembered. Annabeth told me she became a Hunter of Artemis, right?"**_

_**Jason nodded. "I get the feeling I'm supposed to find her. Hera left me that memory for a reason. It's got something to do with this quest. But … I also have the feeling it could be dangerous. I'm not sure I want to find out the truth. Is that crazy?"**_

"No." Hermes answered cheekily.

"_**No," Piper said. "Not at all."**_

_**She stared at the logo on the wall: monocle motors, the single red eye. Something about that logo bothered her.**_

Hermes sobered up at that. That still bothered him.

Apollo noticed. "What's wrong?"

"That sounds so familiar. It's like I know it but don't." Hermes said.

Apollo went silent.

_**Maybe it was the idea Enceladus was watching her, holding her father for leverage. She had to save him, but how could she betray her friends?**_

"_**Jason," she said. "Speaking of the truth, I need to tell you something—something about my dad—"**_

_**She didn't get the chance. Somewhere below, metal clanged against metal, like a door slamming shut. The sound echoed through the warehouse.**_

_**Jason stood. He took out his coin and flipped it, snatching his golden sword out of the air. He peered over the railing. "Leo?" he called.**_

_**No answer.**_

_**He crouched next to Piper. "I don't like this."**_

"I don't like it either." Tristan got a bad feeling about what was being read.

"_**He could be in trouble," Piper said. "Go check."**_

"_**I can't leave you alone."**_

"_**I'll be fine." She felt terrified, but she wasn't about to admit it. She drew her dagger Katoptris and tried to look confident. "Anyone gets close, I'll skewer them."**_

_**Jason hesitated. "I'll leave you the pack. If I'm not back in five minutes—"**_

"_**Panic?" she suggested.**_

_**He managed a smile. "Glad you're back to normal. The makeup and the dress were a lot more intimidating than the dagger."**_

"_**Get going, Sparky, before I skewer you."**_

"So that's where the nickname came from." Sally said.

"Nickname?" Maria asked.

"A kind of name that could be shortened of someone's name or could be a name of a quality they possess. In this reference, Piper is referring to his lightning powers." Sally explained.

"_**Sparky?"**_

_**Even offended, Jason looked hot. It wasn't fair. Then he made his way to the stairs and disappeared into the dark.**_

_**Piper counted her breaths, trying to gauge how much time had passed. She lost track at around forty-three. Then something in the warehouse went bang!**_

_**The echo died. Piper's heart pounded, but she didn't call out. Her instincts told her it might not be a good idea.**_

"Listen to them." Tristan pleaded.

_**She stared at her splinted ankle. It's not like I can run. Then she looked up again at the Monocle Motors sign. A little voice in her head pestered her, warning of danger. Something from Greek mythology …**_

Hermes head ached. He clutched his head.

"Hermes!" Apollo yelled.

That drew the attention of the other gods.

Hermes was whimpering. "My head." He groaned. "It sounds so familiar."

"Maybe Mercury has the answer?" Athena offered.

Hermes nodded. He tried to switch over but his head hurt to much to focus. "Ow." He moaned.

Apollo got up and went over to Hermes. He placed his hand on his brother's head. "Focus. Calm down." Apollo muttered. He put some of his healing powers into his touch so that it soothed Hermes headache a little.

"Thanks." Hermes rasped.

"Now. Switch over." Apollo said.

Hermes switched over to Mercury and immediately his eyes filled with tears. He gasped. "They have to get out of there." Mercury said. "It's a trap. A monster lair. Cyclopes. My poor boy."

Mercury switched back into Hermes.

"Ow. That hurt." Hermes said.

"You okay?" Apollo asked.

Hermes nodded and gave a thumbs up. "A okay."

"Really. Are you okay?" Apollo said, not playing around.

"It's manageable." Hermes said.

Apollo nodded and sat back down.

Hermes looked up and noticed all of the faces staring at him. "What?"

"Are you sure it's a trap?" asked a pale Tristan.

"Yes." Hermes said. "One of his kids died there."

Tristan nodded.

"It's fine. They make it out. She's alive, remember." Sally soothed.

Tristan regained some color. "Thank you." He said to Sally.

_**Her hand went to her backpack. She took out the ambrosia squares. Too much would burn her up, but would a little more fix her ankle?**_

_**Boom. The sound was closer this time, directly below her. She dug out a whole square of ambrosia and stuffed it in her mouth. Her heart raced faster. Her skin felt feverish.**_

"No. Don't Aphrodite said.

_**Hesitantly, she flexed her ankle against the splint. No pain, no stiffness at all. She cut through the duct tape with her dagger and heard heavy steps on the stairs—like metal boots.**_

_**Had it been five minutes? Longer? The steps didn't sound like Jason, but maybe he was carrying Leo. Finally she couldn't stand it. Gripping her dagger, she called out, "Jason?"**_

"And don't do that either." Aphrodite continued.

"_**Yeah," he said from the darkness. "On my way up."**_

_**Definitely Jason's voice. So why did all her instincts say Run?**_

_**With effort, she got to her feet.**_

_**The steps came closer.**_

"_**It's okay," Jason's voice promised.**_

_**At the top of the stairs, a face appeared out of the darkness—a hideous black grin, a smashed nose, and a single bloodshot eye in the middle of his forehead.**_

"_**It's fine," the Cyclops said, in a perfect imitation of Jason's voice. "You're just in time for dinner."**_

"Done." Ares said. "D?"

Dionysus looked up in time to catch the book.

"You're up."

Dionysus sighed. "If I must. "_**Chapter 23 Leo."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**I don't own this. ENjoy**_

* * *

_**LEO WISHED THE DRAGON HADN'T LANDED on the toilets.**_

"Excuse me? The toilets?" asked Esperanza.

"That's what it says." Dionysus said.

_**Of all the places to crash, a line of Porta-Potties would not have been his first choice. A dozen of the blue plastic boxes had been set up in the factory yard, and Festus had flattened them all. Fortunately, they hadn't been used in a long time, and the fireball from the crash incinerated most of the contents; but still, there were some pretty gross chemicals leaking out of the wreckage. Leo had to pick his way through and try not to breathe through his nose. Heavy snow was coming down,**_

Again with the snow. Frederick thought.

_**but the dragon's hide was still steaming hot. Of course, that didn't bother Leo.**_

_**After a few minutes climbing over Festus's inanimate body, Leo started to get irritated. The dragon looked perfectly fine. Yes, it had fallen out of the sky and landed with a big ka-boom, but its body wasn't even dented. The fireball had apparently come from built up gasses inside the toilet units,**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

_**not from the dragon itself. Festus's wings were intact. Nothing seemed broken. There was no reason it should have stopped.**_

"_**Not my fault," he muttered. "Festus, you're making me look bad."**_

_**Then he opened the control panel on the dragon's head, and Leo's heart sank. "Oh, Festus, what the heck?"**_

_**The wiring had frozen over.**_

"Khione." Frederick said out loud. "That's who froze the wiring, causing them to fall. And she is making the snow storm."

Athena nodded. "Very good. Yes. The snow witch is making the storm and will cause more trouble on the trip."

The mortals groaned. "Great." Tristan mumbled.

_**Leo knew it had been okay yesterday. He'd worked so hard to repair the corroded lines, but something had caused a flash freeze inside the dragon's skull, where it should've been too hot for ice to form. The ice had caused the wiring to overload and char the control disk. Leo couldn't see any reason that would've happened. Sure, the dragon was old, but still, it didn't make sense. **_

"Snow witch." Someone mumbled.

_**He could replace the wires. That wasn't the problem. But the charred control disk was not good. The Greek letters and pictures carved around the edges, which probably held all kinds of magic, were blurred and blackened.**_

_**The one piece of hardware Leo couldn't replace—and it was damaged. Again.**_

_**He imagined his mom's voice: Most problems look worse than they are, mijo. Nothing is unfixable.**_

Esperanza smiled sadly.

_**His mom could repair just about anything, but Leo was pretty sure she'd never worked on a fifty-year-old magic metal dragon.**_

"No. I haven't." Esperanza said.

_**He clenched his teeth and decided he had to try. He wasn't walking from Detroit to Chicago in a snowstorm, and he wasn't going to be responsible for stranding his friends.**_

"_**Right," he muttered, brushing the snow off his shoulders.**_

"_**Gimme a nylon bristle detail brush, some nitrile gloves, and maybe a can of that aerosol cleaning solvent."**_

_**The tool belt obliged. Leo couldn't help smiling as he pulled out the supplies. The belt's pockets did have limits. They wouldn't give him anything magic, like Jason's sword,**_

"Of course not." Hephaestus said. "Only things found in a workshop he can use."

_**or anything huge, like a chain saw. He'd tried asking for both.**_

Some looked disturbed at that.

_**And if he asked for too many things at once, the belt needed a cooldown time before it could work again. The more complicated the request, the longer the cooldown. But anything small and simple like you might find around a workshop—all Leo had to do was ask.**_

_**He began cleaning off the control disk. While he worked, snow collected on the cooling dragon. Leo had to stop from time to time to summon fire and melt it away, but mostly he went into autopilot mode, his hands working by themselves as his thoughts wandered.**_

"Here we go." Esperanza muttered.

_**Leo couldn't believe how stupid he'd acted back at Boreas's palace. He should've figured a family of winter gods would hate him on sight. Son of the fire god flying a fire-breathing dragon into an ice penthouse—yeah, maybe not the best move. Still, he hated feeling like a reject.**_

"You're not a reject, _mijo_." Esperanza whispered.

_**Jason and Piper got to visit the throne room. Leo got to wait in the lobby with Cal, the demigod of hockey and major head injuries.**_

Apollo and Hermes snorted.

_**Fire is bad, Cal had told him.**_

_**That pretty much summed it up. Leo knew he couldn't keep the truth from his friends much longer. Ever since Camp Half-Blood, one line of that Great Prophecy kept coming back to him: To storm or fire the world must fall.**_

Esperanza paled. She had a feeling that's how her boy dies.

_**And Leo was the fire guy, the first one since 1666 when London had burned down. If he told his friends what he could really do—Hey, guess what, guys? I might destroy the world!—why would anyone welcome him back at camp?**_

_**Leo would have to go on the run again. Even though he knew that drill, the idea depressed him.**_

_**Then there was Khione. Dang, that girl was fine. Leo knew he'd acted like a total fool, but he couldn't help himself. He'd had his clothes cleaned with the one-hour valet service —which had been totally sweet, by the way. He'd combed his hair—never an easy job—and even discovered the tool bag could make breath mints, all in hopes that he could get close to her. Naturally, no such luck.**_

_**Getting frozen out—story of his life—by his relatives,**_

Esperanza looked mad.

_**foster homes, you name it. Even at Wilderness School, Leo had spent the last few weeks feeling like a third wheel as Jason and Piper, his only friends, became a couple. He was happy for them and all, but still it made him feel like they didn't need him anymore.**_

"Oh, _Mijo._" Esperanza said. Not for the first time did she wish that Leo was here.

_**When he'd found out that Jason's whole time at school had been an illusion—a kind of a memory burp—Leo had been secretly excited. It was a chance for a reset. Now Jason and Piper were heading toward being a couple again—that was obvious from the way they'd acted in the warehouse just now, like they wanted to talk in private without Leo around. What had he expected? He'd wind up the odd man out again. Khione had just given him the cold shoulder a little quicker than most.**_

Esperanza was back to being mad.

"_**Enough, Valdez," he scolded himself. "Nobody's going to play any violins for you just because you're not important.**_

"Leo is important." Aphrodite said.

_**Fix the stupid dragon."**_

_**He got so involved with his work, he wasn't sure how much time had passed before he heard the voice.**_

_**You're wrong, Leo, it said.**_

The gods gasped. If she had woken up enough to do that, then why wasn't she awake sooner.

_**He fumbled his brush and dropped it into the dragon's head. He stood, but he couldn't see who'd spoken. Then he looked at the ground. Snow and chemical sludge from the toilets, even the asphalt itself was shifting like it was turning to liquid. A ten-foot-wide area formed eyes, a nose, and a mouth—the giant face of a sleeping woman.**_

Some gods snickered. At the looks they got, Apollo explained, "She used the toilet sludge to make her face."

Now all the others were laughing.

_**She didn't exactly speak. Her lips didn't move. But Leo could hear her voice in his head, as if the vibrations were coming through the ground, straight into his feet and resonating up his skeleton.**_

_**They need you desperately, she said. In some ways, you are the most important of the seven—like the control disk in the dragon's brain. Without you, the power of the others means nothing. They will never reach me, never stop me. And I will fully wake.**_

"You know, I don't think I like her comforting him." Esperanza said.

"_**You." Leo was shaking so badly he wasn't sure he'd spoken aloud. He hadn't heard that voice since he was eight, but it was her: the earthen woman from the machine shop. "You killed my mom."**_

Esperanza sniffled softly.

_**The face shifted. The mouth formed a sleepy smile like it was having a pleasant dream. Ah, but Leo. I am your mother too—the First Mother. Do not oppose me. Walk away now. Let my son Porphyrion rise and become king, and I will ease your burdens. You will tread lightly on the earth.**_

_**Leo grabbed the nearest thing he could find—a Porta-Potty seat—and threw it at the face. "Leave me alone!"**_

_**The toilet seat sank into the liquid earth. Snow and sludge rippled, and the face dissolved.**_

"Ha. She was scared off by a toilet seat." Hermes snickered.

_**Leo stared at the ground, waiting for the face to reappear. But it didn't. Leo wanted to think he'd imagined it.**_

_**Then from the direction of the factory, he heard a crash—like two dump trucks slamming together. Metal crumpled and groaned, and the noise echoed across the yard. Instantly Leo knew that Jason and Piper were in trouble.**_

Everyone jumped at the reminder that Jason and Piper were in trouble. Beryl and Tristan tensed up.

_**Walk away now, the voice had urged.**_

"_**Not likely," Leo growled. "Gimme the biggest hammer you got."**_

Hephaestus smiled at the thought that Leo used the same weapon as him.

_**He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a three-pound club hammer with a double-faced head the size of a baked potato. Then he jumped off the dragon's back and ran toward the warehouse.**_

"Done." Dionysus said. "Now what? We've all read."

"Now we will start over. Dionysus give Zeus the book. I've been keeping track of who read when. We will just stay in that order until we are done." Athena said.

Dionysus levitated the book over to Zeus.

Zeus sighed. "_**Chapter 24 Leo."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**LEO STOPPED AT THE DOORS AND TRIED to control his breathing. The voice of the earth woman still rang in his ears, reminding him of his mother's death. The last thing he wanted to do was plunge into another dark warehouse. Suddenly he felt eight years old again, alone and helpless as someone he cared about was trapped and in trouble.**_

Esperanza looked down.

_**Stop it, he told himself. That's how she wants you to feel.**_

_**But that didn't make him any less scared. He took a deep breath and peered inside. Nothing looked different. Gray morning light filtered through the hole in the roof. A few lightbulbs flickered, but most of the factory floor was still lost in shadows. He could make out the catwalk above, the dim shapes of heavy machinery along the assembly line, but no movement. No sign of his friends.**_

_**He almost called out, but something stopped him—a sense he couldn't identify. Then he realized it was smell. Something smelled wrong—like burning motor oil and sour breath.**_

"Wait. Leo can smell, monsters?" asked Sally.

"Apparently." Athena said mystified.

_**Something not human was inside the factory. Leo was certain. His body shifted into high gear, all his nerves tingling.**_

_**Somewhere on the factory floor, Piper's voice cried out: "Leo, help!"**_

_**But Leo held his tongue. How could Piper have gotten off the catwalk with her broken ankle?**_

"Good, Leo. At least he's better than Piper at listening to his instincts." Hera muttered.

_**He slipped inside and ducked behind a cargo container. Slowly, gripping his hammer, he worked his way toward the center of the room, hiding behind boxes and hollow truck chassis. Finally he reached the assembly line. He crouched behind the nearest piece of machinery—a crane with a robotic arm.**_

_**Piper's voice called out again: "Leo?" Less certain this time, but very close.**_

_**Leo peeked around the machinery. Hanging directly above the assembly line, suspended by a chain from a crane on the opposite side, was a massive truck engine—just dangling thirty feet up, as if it had been left there when the factory was abandoned. Below it on the conveyor belt sat a truck chassis, and clustered around it were three dark shapes the size of forklifts. Nearby, dangling from chains on two other robotic arms, were two smaller shapes—maybe more engines, but one of them was twisting around as if it were alive.**_

Tristan almost whimpered at the thought of his daughter in trouble.

_**Then one of the forklift shapes rose, and Leo realized it was a humanoid of massive size. "Told you it was nothing," the thing rumbled. Its voice was too deep and feral to be human.**_

_**One of the other forklift-sized lumps shifted, and called out in Piper's voice: "Leo, help me! Help—" Then the voice changed, becoming a masculine snarl. "Bah, there's nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?"**_

"Yes there can be. Leo's proof." Hephaestus said indignantly.

_**The first monster chuckled. "Probably ran away, if he knows what's good for him. Or the girl was lying about a third demigod. Let's get cooking."**_

_**Snap. A bright orange light sizzled to life—an emergency flare—and Leo was temporarily blinded. He ducked behind the crane until the spots cleared from his eyes. Then he took another peep and saw a nightmare scene even Tía Callida couldn't have dreamed up.**_

Hera huffed.

_**The two smaller things dangling from crane arms weren't engines. They were Jason and Piper. Both hung upside down, tied by their ankles and cocooned with chains up to their necks.**_

Tristan gasped. "Piper." He said softly.

_**Piper was flailing around, trying to free herself. Her mouth was gagged, but at least she was alive.**_

Tristan looked slightly better. He was relieved that Piper was semi okay. At least she wasn't unconscious. She got out of this. She is alive. He kept repeating in his head.

_**Jason didn't look so good. He hung limply, his eyes rolled up in his head. A red welt the size of an apple had swollen over his left eyebrow.**_

Beryl gasped.

"And so begins Jason getting hit in the head." Apollo intoned in a solemn voice.

"I'm surprised he's not like Cal right now." Athena said.

Beryl looked sick. "How many times does he get hit in the head?" She demanded.

"We can't tell you." Athena said. "For now, just read."

Beryl nodded, grumpily.

_**On the conveyor belt, the bed of the unfinished pickup truck was being used as a fire pit. The emergency flare had ignited a mixture of tires and wood, which, from the smell of it, had been doused in kerosene. A big metal pole was suspended over the flames—a spit, Leo realized, which meant this was a cooking fire.**_

The mortals shivered.

_**But most terrifying of all were the cooks.**_

_**Monocle Motors: that single red eye logo. Why hadn't Leo realized?**_

_**Three massive humanoids gathered around the fire. Two were standing, stoking the flames. The largest one crouched with his back to Leo. The two facing him were each ten feet tall, with hairy muscular bodies and skin that glowed red in the firelight. One of the monsters wore a chainmail loincloth that looked really uncomfortable.**_

Aphrodite looked sick.

_**The other wore a ragged fuzzy toga made of fiberglass insulation, which also would not have made Leo's top ten wardrobe ideas.**_

Now she shuddered. "Gross."

_**Other than that, the two monsters could've been twins. Each had a brutish face with a single eye in the center of his forehead. The cooks were Cyclopes.**_

_**Leo's legs started quaking. He'd seen some weird things so far—storm spirits and winged gods and a metal dragon that liked Tabasco sauce. But this was different. These were actual, flesh-and-blood, ten-foot-tall living monsters who wanted to eat his friends for dinner.**_

Tristan let a very "manly" whimper escape. No one said anything.

_**He was so terrified he could hardly think. If only he had Festus. He could use a fire-breathing sixty-foot-long tank about now. But all he had was a tool belt and a backpack. His three-pound club hammer looked awfully small compared to those Cyclopes.**_

_**This is what the sleeping earth lady had been talking about. She wanted Leo to walk away and leave his friends to die.**_

_**That decided it. No way was Leo going to let that earth lady make him feel powerless—never again.**_

Esperanza silently cheered. She was proud of Leo for standing up to her murderer.

_**Leo slipped off his backpack and quietly started to unzip it.**_

_**The Cyclops in the chain mail loincloth walked over to Piper, who squirmed and tried to head-butt him in the eye. "Can I take her gag off now? I like it when they scream."**_

"I'd like to see you scream." Aphrodite huffed.

_**The question was directed at the third Cyclops, apparently the leader. The crouching figure grunted, and Loincloth ripped the gag off Piper's mouth.**_

_**She didn't scream. She took a shaky breath like she was trying to keep herself calm.**_

"I'd like to see Drew do that. If she was on this quest, they'd all be dead." Tristan said. He was proud of Piper.

_**Meanwhile, Leo found what he wanted in the pack: a stack of tiny remote control units he'd picked up in Bunker 9. At least he hoped that's what they were. The robotic crane's maintenance panel was easy to find. He slipped a screwdriver from his tool belt and went to work, but he had to go slowly. The leader Cyclops was only twenty feet in front of him. The monsters obviously had excellent senses. Pulling off his plan without making noise seemed impossible, but he didn't have much choice.**_

Hephaestus beamed.

_**The Cyclops in the toga poked at the fire, which was now blazing away and billowing noxious black smoke toward the ceiling. His buddy Loincloth glowered at Piper, waiting for her to do something entertaining. "Scream, girl! I like funny screaming!"**_

_**When Piper finally spoke, her tone was calm and reasonable, like she was correcting a naughty puppy. "Oh, Mr. Cyclops, you don't want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go."**_

Apollo snorted. He noticed that Hermes was tense and not really paying attention.

"Hey are you okay?" Apollo asked.

"Not really. He keeps shouting in my head. It's making my head hurt." Hermes winced in pain.

Apollo threw his arm around Hermes' shoulders. He discreetly started healing him.

"Thanks." Hermes sighed in relief.

_**Loincloth scratched his ugly head. He turned to his friend in the fiberglass toga. "She's kind of pretty, Torque. Maybe I should let her go."**_

"Charmspeak?" asked Tristan.

Aphrodite nodded. "Charmspeak."

_**Torque, the dude in the toga, growled. "I saw her first, Sump. I'll let her go!" Sump and Torque started to argue, but the third Cyclops rose and shouted, "Fools!"**_

_**Leo almost dropped his screwdriver. **_

"Why?" asked Esperanza. She couldn't imagine what would happen to make Leo drop his screwdriver. Sorry, almost drop his screwdriver.

_**The third Cyclops was a female.**_

"Oh." Esperanza said. She could understand that.

_**She was several feet taller than Torque or Sump, and even beefier. She wore a tent of chain mail cut like one of those sack dresses Leo's mean Aunt Rosa used to wear.**_

Esperanza snorted.

_**What'd they call that—a muumuu? Yeah, the Cyclops lady had a chain mail muumuu. Her greasy black hair was matted in pigtails, woven with copper wires and metal washers. Her nose and mouth were thick and smashed together, like she spent her free time ramming her face into walls; but her single red eye glittered with evil intelligence.**_

"Oh great. They get a smart Cyclops." Beryl muttered.

_**The woman Cyclops stalked over to Sump and pushed him aside, knocking him over the conveyor belt. Torque backed up quickly.**_

"_**The girl is Venus spawn," **_

Aphrodite calmly switched to Venus then switched back to her Greek form.

"Sometimes I really hate you Aphrodite." Hermes muttered rubbing his temples.

_**the lady Cyclops snarled. "She's using charmspeak on you."**_

_**Piper started to say, "Please, ma'am—"**_

"_**Rarr!" The lady Cyclops grabbed Piper around the waist. "Don't try your pretty talk on me, girl! I'm Ma Gasket! I've eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch!"**_

The gods winced.

_**Leo feared Piper would get crushed,**_

Tristan gasped.

_**but Ma Gasket just dropped her and let her dangle from her chain.**_

Then relaxed a bit.

_**Then she started yelling at Sump about how stupid he was.**_

_**Leo's hands worked furiously. He twisted wires and turned switches, hardly thinking about what he was doing. He finished attaching the remote. Then he crept over to the next robotic arm while the Cyclopes were talking.**_

"—_**eat her last, Ma?" Sump was saying.**_

"_**Idiot!" Ma Gasket yelled, and Leo realized Sump and Torque must be her sons.**_

"Really? I thought that the Cyclopes grow up on the streets." Sally said.

"Sometimes the monsters keep them to be slaves for the mother." Athena said disgusted.

Sally nodded.

_**If so, ugly definitely ran in the family. **_

Apollo snorted.

"_**I should've thrown you out on the streets when you were babies, like proper Cyclops children. You might have learned some useful skills. Curse my soft heart that I kept you!"**_

"_**Soft heart?" Torque muttered.**_

"_**What was that, you ingrate?"**_

"_**Nothing, Ma. I said you got a soft heart. We get to work for you, feed you, file your toenails—"**_

Everyone looked disgusted.

"_**And you should be grateful!" Ma Gasket bellowed. "Now, stoke the fire, Torque! And Sump, you idiot, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don't tell me you expect me to eat these demigods without salsa!"**_

"_**Yes, Ma," Sump said. "I mean no, Ma. I mean—"**_

"_**Go get it!" Ma Gasket picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over Sump's head. Sump crumpled to his knees. Leo was sure a hit like that would kill him, but Sump apparently got hit by trucks a lot.**_

Sally looked sad. Those poor monsters.

_**He managed to push the chassis off his head. Then he staggered to his feet and ran offto fetch the salsa.**_

_**Now's the time, Leo thought. While they're separated.**_

_**He finished wiring the second machine and moved toward a third. As he dashed between robotic arms, the Cyclopes didn't see him, but Piper did. Her expression turned from terror to disbelief, and she gasped.**_

"No, Piper, don't give him away." Tristan mumbled.

_**Ma Gasket turned to her. "What's the matter, girl? So fragile I broke you?"**_

_**Thankfully, Piper was a quick thinker. She looked away from Leo and said, "I think it's my ribs, ma'am. If I'm busted up inside, I'll taste terrible."**_

_**Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter. "Good one. The last hero we ate—remember him, Torque?**_

Zeus read a bit further and frowned. "Hermes, brace yourself. Apollo get ready."

_**Son of Mercury, wasn't he?"**_

Hermes screamed in pain. Apollo got up and put his hands on Hermes' head. His hands were glowing.

Zeus kept reading through his son's screams.

"_**Yes, Ma," Torque said. "Tasty. Little bit stringy."**_

"_**He tried a trick like that. Said he was on medication. But he tasted fine!"**_

"_**Tasted like mutton," Torque recalled. "Purple shirt. Talked in Latin. Yes, a bit stringy, but good."**_

Hermes fell silent, whimpering now and then. He curled himself into a ball.

Zeus put in a bookmark. "I think we will take an hour break. If you will excuse us. Apollo take him to the infirmary. Find out what's wrong. I'll meet you there." Zeus flashed out of the room.

Apollo got up and helped hermes to his feet. "Come on Hermes. Let's go."

Hermes got shakily to his feet. They both flashed away.

The rest of the gods and mortals just looked around awkwardly.

Hera huffed. "Look. Stop being awkward. Ares, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, you all loved them once or still love them right?"

At this she got some slow nods.

"And you had a relationship with them at one point, right?" Hera continued.

More nods.

"Then what's the problem? Just act like you did when you were last with them. Stop being wussies." Hera finished.

"Who are you calling a wussy." Ares yelled.

"The one who at the last meal, stalked the mortals while they were eating." Hera said.

Ares and Athena looked down.

"Speaking of food." Demeter said. She waved her hand and sandwiches, chips and drinks appeared on a table in front of the mortals. Demeter then made Ambrosia appear for the gods.

The gods got up and mingled with the mortals. After an hour, Zeus, Apollo and Hermes flashed in.

"What was wrong with Hermes?" asked Athena concerned.

"Mercury just needed to let out a little steam. Sometimes we bottle up emotions and then we explode. Mercury hadn't dealt with that kids death so now he did." Apollo explained.

The other gods nodded.

"Oh, just so you know, don't go near the training fields for a while." Apollo added.

"Why?" asked Ares.

"He flattened it." Apollo said.

Ares looked happy. "Now that's a way to let out some grief."

Hermes sat down. Now feeling much better. "So? Reading?" He asked.

Zeus opened the book. "Let's see. Oh, right here."

_**Leo's fingers froze on the maintenance panel. Apparently, Piper was having the same thought he was, because she asked, "Purple shirt? Latin?"**_

"_**Good eating," Ma Gasket said fondly. "Point is, girl, we're not as dumb as people think! We're not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us northern Cyclopes."**_

_**Leo forced himself back to work, but his mind was racing. A kid who spoke Latin had been caught here—in a purple shirt like Jason's? He didn't know what that meant, but he had to leave the interrogation to Piper. If he was going to have any chance of defeating these monsters, he had to move fast before Sump came back with the salsa.**_

Tension was thick in the room, everyone remembering what was happening.

_**He looked up at the engine block suspended right above the Cyclopes' campsite. He wished he could use that—it would make a great weapon. But the crane holding it was on the opposite side of the conveyor belt. There was no way Leo could get over there without being seen, and besides, he was running short on time.**_

_**The last part of his plan was the trickiest. From his tool belt he summoned some wires, a radio adapter, and a smaller screwdriver and started to build a universal remote. For the first time, he said a silent thank-you to his dad—Hephaestus—for the magic tool belt. Get me out of here, he prayed, and maybe you're not such a jerk.**_

Hephaestus smiled, maybe not the best prayer, but at least the boy's acknowledging him as his father.

_**Piper kept talking, laying on the praise. "Oh, I've heard about the northern Cyclopes!" Which Leo figured was bull, but she sounded convincing. "I never knew you were so big and clever!"**_

"That could work." Athena said thoughtful. "Flatter them into letting you down so you could fight."

"_**Flattery won't work either," Ma Gasket said,**_

"Or not." She muttered.

_**though she sounded pleased. "It's true, you'll be breakfast for the best Cyclopes around."**_

"_**But aren't Cyclopes good?" Piper asked. "I thought you made weapons for the gods."**_

"_**Bah! I'm very good. Good at eating people. Good at smashing. And good at building things, yes, but not for the gods. Our cousins, the elder Cyclopes, they do this, yes. Thinking they're so high and mighty 'cause they're a few thousand years older. Then there's our southern cousins, living on islands and tending sheep. Morons! But we Hyperborean Cyclopes, the northern clan, we're the best! Founded Monocle Motors in this old factory—the best weapons, armor, chariots, fuel-efficient SUVs! And yet—bah! Forced to shut down. Laid off most of our tribe. The war was too quick. Titans lost.**_

The gods growled in anger.

_**No good! No more need for Cyclops weapons."**_

"_**Oh, no," Piper sympathized. "I'm sure you made some amazing weapons."**_

_**Torque grinned. "Squeaky war hammer!" He picked up a large pole with an accordion-looking metal box on the end.**_

_**He slammed it against the floor and the cement cracked, but there was also a sound like the world's largest rubber ducky getting stomped.**_

There was silence until Hermes busted up laughing. Everyone followed him.

"_**Terrifying," Piper said.**_

_**Torque looked pleased. "Not as good as the exploding ax, but this one can be used more than once."**_

"_**Can I see it?" Piper asked. "If you could just free my hands—"**_

_**Torque stepped forward eagerly, but Ma Gasket said, "Stupid! She's tricking you again. Enough talk! Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh."**_

Everyone sobered as Beryl gasped. Jason. She thought. She might not be the best mother, but she did love her kids. She still remembered when she felt Jason move for the first time.

_**No! Leo's fingers flew, connecting the wires for the remote. Just a few more minutes!**_

"_**Hey, wait," Piper said, trying to get the Cyclopes' attention. "Hey, can I just ask—"**_

_**The wires sparked in Leo's hand. The Cyclopes froze and turned in his direction. Then Torque picked up a truck and threw it at him.**_

_**Leo rolled as the truck steamrolled over the machinery. If he'd been a half-second slower, he would've been smashed.**_

Esperanza gasped.

_**He got to his feet, and Ma Gasket spotted him. She yelled, "Torque, you pathetic excuse for a Cyclops, get him!"**_

_**Torque barreled toward him. Leo frantically gunned the toggle on his makeshift remote.**_

_**Torque was fifty feet away. Twenty feet.**_

Esperanza was nervously biting her nails.

_**Then the first robotic arm whirred to life. A three-ton yellow metal claw slammed the Cyclops in the back so hard, he landed flat on his face. Before Torque could recover, the robotic hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him straight up.**_

"_**AHHHHH!" Torque rocketed into the gloom. The ceiling was too dark and too high up to see exactly what happened, but judging from the harsh metal clang, Leo guessed the Cyclops had hit one of the support girders.**_

_**Torque never came down. Instead, yellow dust rained to the floor. Torque had disintegrated.**_

The gods cheered.

"So yellow dust means they're dead?" asked Tristan.

Athena nodded.

"Okay, good." Tristan sighed.

_**Ma Gasket stared at Leo in shock. "My son … You … You …"**_

_**As if on cue, Sump lumbered into the firelight with a case of salsa. "Ma, I got the extra-spicy—"**_

_**He never finished his sentence. Leo spun the remote's toggle, and the second robotic arm whacked Sump in the chest. The salsa case exploded like a piñata and Sump flew backward, right into the base of Leo's third machine. Sump may have been immune to getting hit with truck chasses, but he wasn't immune to robotic arms that could deliver ten thousand pounds of force. The third crane arm slammed him against the floor so hard, he exploded into dust like a broken flour sack.**_

The mortals now cheered.

_**Two Cyclopes down. Leo was beginning to feel like Commander Tool Belt when Ma Gasket locked her eye on him. She grabbed the nearest crane arm and ripped it off its pedestal with a savage roar. "You busted my boys! Only I get to bust my boys!"**_

The cheering stopped.

"A mother's rage." Hera whispered.

_**Leo punched a button, and the two remaining arms swung into action. Ma Gasket caught the first one and tore it in half. The second arm smacked her in the head, but that only seemed to make her mad. She grabbed it by the clamps, ripped it free, and swung it like a baseball bat. It missed Piper and Jason by an inch.**_

Tristan and Beryl looked worried.

_**Then Ma Gasket let it go—spinning it toward Leo. He yelped and rolled to one side as it demolished the machine next to him.**_

_**Leo started to realize that an angry Cyclops mother was not something you wanted to fight with a universal remote and a screwdriver. The future for Commander Tool Belt was not looking so hot.**_

Apollo and Hermes snickered.

_**She stood about twenty feet from him now, next to the cooking fire. Her fists were clenched, her teeth bared. She looked ridiculous in her chain mail muumuu and her greasy pigtails—but given the murderous glare in her huge red eye and the fact that she was twelve feet tall, Leo wasn't laughing.**_

"_**Any more tricks, demigod?" Ma Gasket demanded.**_

_**Leo glanced up. The engine block suspended on the chain—if only he'd had time to rig it. If only he could get Ma Gasket to take one step forward. The chain itself … that one link … Leo shouldn't have been able to see it, especially from so far down, but his senses told him there was metal fatigue.**_

Hephaestus looked proud. "He's good." He muttered.

"_**Heck, yeah, I got tricks!" Leo raised his remote control. "Take one more step, and I'll destroy you with fire!"**_

_**Ma Gasket laughed. "Would you? Cyclopes are immune to fire, you idiot. But if you wish to play with flames, let me help!"**_

_**She scooped red-hot coals into her bare hands and flung them at Leo. They landed all around his feet.**_

"_**You missed," he said incredulously. Then Ma Gasket grinned and picked up a barrel next to the truck. Leo just had time to read the stenciled word on the side—kerosene —before Ma Gasket threw it. The barrel split on the floor in front of him, spilling lighter fluid everywhere.**_

No one commented because they knew he could tolerate fire.

_**Coals sparked. Leo closed his eyes, and Piper screamed, "No!"**_

_**A firestorm erupted around him. When Leo opened his eyes he was bathed in flames swirling twenty feet into the air.**_

_**Ma Gasket shrieked with delight, but Leo didn't offer the fire any good fuel. The kerosene burned off, dying down to small fiery patches on the floor.**_

_**Piper gasped. "Leo?"**_

_**Ma Gasket looked astonished. "You live?" Then she took that extra step forward, which put her right where Leo wanted. "What are you?"**_

"_**The son of Hephaestus," Leo said.**_

Hephaestus smiled.

"_**And I warned you I'd destroy you with fire."**_

_**He pointed one finger in the air and summoned all his will. He'd never tried to do anything so focused and intense—but he shot a bolt of white-hot flames at the chain suspending the engine block above the Cyclops's head—aiming for the link that looked weaker than rest.**_

_**The flames died. Nothing happened. Ma Gasket laughed. "An impressive try, son of Hephaestus. It's been many centuries since I saw a fire user. You'll make a spicy appetizer!"**_

_**The chain snapped—that single link heated beyond its tolerance point—and the engine block fell, deadly and silent.**_

"_**I don't think so," Leo said.**_

_**Ma Gasket didn't even have time to look up.**_

_**Smash! No more Cyclops—just a pile of dust under a five-ton engine block.**_

Everyone cheered.

"_**Not immune to engines, huh?" Leo said. "Boo-yah!"**_

_**Then he fell to his knees, his head buzzing. After a few minutes he realized Piper was calling his name.**_

"_**Leo! Are you all right? Can you move?"**_

_**He stumbled to his feet. He'd never tried to summon such an intense fire before, and it had left him completely drained.**_

Now everyone looked worried. He still had to fix the dragon.

_**It took him a long time to get Piper down from her chains. Then together they lowered Jason, who was still unconscious. Piper managed to trickle a little nectar into his mouth, and he groaned. The welt on his head started to shrink. His color came back a little.**_

Beryl sighed in relief.

"_**Yeah, he's got a nice thick skull," Leo said. "I think he's gonna be fine."**_

"_**Thank god," Piper sighed. Then she looked at Leo with something like fear. "How did you—the fire—have you always … ?"**_

_**Leo looked down. "Always," he said. "I'm a freaking menace.**_

"You're not a menace, _mijo_," Esperanza said, firmly.

_**Sorry, I should've told you guys sooner but—"**_

"_**Sorry?" Piper punched his arm. When he looked up, she was grinning. "That was amazing, Valdez! You saved our lives. What are you sorry about?"**_

_**Leo blinked. He started to smile, but his sense of relief was ruined when he noticed something next to Piper's foot.**_

_**Yellow dust—the powdered remains of one of the Cyclopes, maybe Torque—was shifting across the floor like an invisible wind was pushing it back together.**_

"_**They're forming again," Leo said. "Look."**_

"What?" Sally asked fearful. "I thought they died for a while before they reform."

Athena looked grim. "Not in this war."

Sally looked frightened. Percy had many monster enemies. If they didn't die, He could . . . No, Sally thought. He will survive. He has to.

_**Piper stepped away from the dust. "That's not possible. Annabeth told me monsters dissipate when they're killed. They go back to Tartarus and can't return for a long time."**_

"_**Well, nobody told the dust that." Leo watched as it collected into a pile, then very slowly spread out, forming a shape with arms and legs.**_

"_**Oh, god." Piper turned pale. "Boreas said something about this—the earth yielding up horrors. 'When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades.' How long do you think we have?"**_

_**Leo thought about the face that had formed in the ground outside—the sleeping woman who was definitely a horror from the earth.**_

"_**I don't know," he said. "But we need to get out of here."**_

"Done." Zeus said. "Poseidon."

Zeus handed the book to his brother.

"_**Chapter 25 Jason." **_Poseidon read.

* * *

Addy


	24. Chapter 24

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**JASON DREAMED HE WAS WRAPPED in chains, hanging upside down like a hunk of meat. Everything hurt—his arms, his legs, his chest, his head. Especially his head. It felt like an over inflated water balloon.**_

Beryl looked relieved. He was okay. If he was in pain, he was alive.

"_**If I'm dead," he murmured, "why does it hurt so much?"**_

"_**You're not dead, my hero," said a woman's voice. "It is not your time. Come, speak with me."**_

_**Jason's thoughts floated away from his body. He heard monsters yelling, his friends screaming, fiery explosions, but it all seemed to be happening on another plane of existence —getting farther and farther away.**_

_**He found himself standing in an earthen cage. Tendrils of tree roots and stone whirled together, confining him. Outside the bars, he could see the floor of a dry reflecting pool, another earthen spire growing at the far end, and above them, the ruined red stones of a burned-out house.**_

Hera shivered. She hated that rock cage. I mean, come on. Who actually likes their cage?

_**Next to him in the cage, a woman sat cross-legged in black robes, her head covered by a shroud. She pushed aside her veil, revealing a face that was proud and beautiful—but also hardened with suffering.**_

"_**Hera," Jason said.**_

"_**Welcome to my prison," said the goddess. "You will not die today, Jason. Your friends will see you through—for now."**_

"For now? What's that supposed to mean?" asked Beryl.

"You'll see." Hera said.

Beryl groaned. She hated those words.

"_**For now?" he asked.**_

_**Hera gestured at the tendrils of her cage. "There are worse trials to come. The very earth stirs against us."**_

"_**You're a goddess," Jason said. "Why can't you just escape?"**_

_**Hera smiled sadly. Her form began to glow, until her brilliance filled the cage with painful light. The air hummed with power, molecules splitting apart like a nuclear explosion. Jason suspected if he were actually there in the flesh, he would've been vaporized.**_

The gods nodded. Tristan looked about to comment when Athena said,"When we are in our true form we cause destruction. Mortals and Demigods alike would be vaporized and same with other things."

Tristan closed his mouth and nodded.

_**The cage should've been blasted to rubble. The ground should've split and the ruined house should've been leveled. But when the glow died, the cage hadn't budged. Nothing outside the bars had changed. Only Hera looked different—a little more stooped and tired.**_

"_**Some powers are even greater than the gods," she said. "I am not easily contained. I can be in many places at once. But when the greater part of my essence is caught, it is like a foot in a bear trap, you might say. I can't escape, and I am concealed from the eyes of the other gods. Only you can find me, and I grow weaker by the day."**_

Hera was shaking as she remembered it. Zeus put his hand on her arm.

"_**Then why did you come here?" Jason asked. "How were you caught?"**_

_**The goddess sighed. "I could not stay idle. Your father Jupiter believes he can withdraw from the world, and thus lull our enemies back to sleep. He believes we Olympians have become too involved in the affairs of mortals, in the fates of our demigod children, especially since we agreed to claim them all after the war. He believes this is what has caused our enemies to stir. That is why he closed Olympus."**_

"Stupid if you asked me." Athena said quietly.

"_**But you don't agree."**_

"_**No," she said. "Often I do not understand my husband's moods or his decisions, but even for Zeus, this seemed paranoid. I cannot fathom why he was so insistent and so convinced. It was … unlike him. As Hera, I might have been content to follow my lord's wishes. But I am also Juno." Her image flickered, and Jason saw armor under her simple black robes, a goatskin cloak—the symbol of a Roman warrior—across her bronze mantle. "Juno Moneta **_

Hera switched to Juno then back.

_**they once called me—Juno, the One Who Warns. I was guardian of the state, patron of Eternal Rome. I could not sit by while the descendants of my people were attacked. I sensed danger at this sacred spot. A voice—" She hesitated. "A voice told me I should come here. Gods do not have what you might call a conscience, nor do we have dreams; but the voice was like that—soft and persistent, warning me to come here.**_

The gods were angry at the snow witch.

_**And so the same day Zeus closed Olympus, I slipped away without telling him my plans, so he could not stop me. And I came here to investigate."**_

"_**It was a trap," Jason guessed.**_

_**The goddess nodded. "Only too late did I realize how quickly the earth was stirring. I was even more foolish than Jupiter—**_

Zeus huffed.

_**a slave to my own impulses. This is exactly how it happened the first time. I was taken captive by the giants, and my imprisonment started a war. Now our enemies rise again. The gods can only defeat them with the help of the greatest living heroes. And the one whom the giants serve …she cannot be defeated at all—only kept asleep."**_

"How do they defeat her?" asked Queen Marie.

Athena opened her mouth but Frederick said, "Let me guess, you can't tell us."

Athena nodded.

The mortals sighed.

"Let's continue reading then." Frederick said.

Poseidon grabbed the book.

"_**I don't understand."**_

"_**You will soon," Hera said.**_

_**The cage began to constrict, the tendrils spiraling tighter. Hera's form shivered like a candle flame in the breeze. Outside the cage, Jason could see shapes gathering at the edge of the pool—lumbering humanoids with hunched backs and bald heads. Unless Jason's eyes were tricking him—they had more than one set of arms. He heard wolves too, but not the wolves he'd seen with Lupa. He could tell from their howls this was a different pack—hungrier, more aggressive, out for blood.**_

Artemis switched to Diana and hissed, "Lycaon." SHe hated that mutt. Artemis came back clutching her head.

"_**Hurry, Jason," Hera said. "My keepers approach, and you begin to wake. I will not be strong enough to appear to you again, even in dreams."**_

"_**Wait," he said. "Boreas told us you'd made a dangerous gamble. What did he mean?"**_

_**Hera's eyes looked wild, and Jason wondered if she really had done something crazy.**_

"Yes, She did something extremely mad." Dionysus said. "And I am the god of madness."

Hera looked mildly upset. "You know it was the only way to defeat her."

"Yes. We know that, Hera, I was just teasing." Dionysus said.

Hera looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Dionysus said.

"_**An exchange," she said. "The only way to bring peace. The enemy counts on our divisions, and if we are divided, we will be destroyed. You are my peace offering, Jason—a bridge to overcome millennia of hatred."**_

"_**What? I don't—"**_

"_**I cannot tell you more," Hera said. "You have only lived this long because I have taken your memory. Find this place. Return to your starting point. Your sister will help."**_

"_**Thalia?"**_

Beryl perked up. She was right. Thalia was in this book. Now to wait for her to show up.

_**The scene began to dissolve. "Good-bye, Jason. Beware Chicago. Your most dangerous mortal enemy waits there. If you are to die, it will be by her hand."**_

Frederick looked interested. His most dangerous mortal enemy. Who could it be?

"_**Who?" he demanded.**_

_**But Hera's image faded, and Jason awoke.**_

_**His eyes snapped open. "Cyclops!"**_

"_**Whoa, sleepyhead." Piper sat behind him on the bronze dragon, holding his waist to keep him balanced. Leo sat in front, driving. They flew peacefully through the winter sky as if nothing had happened.**_

"_**D-Detroit," Jason stammered. "Didn't we crash-land? I thought—"**_

"_**It's okay," Leo said. "We got away, but you got a nasty concussion.**_

"The first of many." Hermes said.

_**How you feeling?"**_

_**Jason's head throbbed. He remembered the factory, then walking down the catwalk, then a creature looming over him—a face with one eye, a massive fist—and everything went black.**_

Apollo winced. "Yeah, I have no doubt that that was a concussion." He said.

"_**How did you—the Cyclops—"**_

"_**Leo ripped them apart," Piper said. "He was amazing. He can summon fire—"**_

"_**It was nothing," Leo said quickly.**_

_**Piper laughed. "Shut up, Valdez. I'm going to tell him. Get over it."**_

_**And she did—how Leo single-handedly defeated the Cyclopes family; how they freed Jason, then noticed the Cyclopes starting to re-form; how Leo had replaced the dragon's wiring and gotten them back in the air just as they'd started to hear the Cyclopes roaring for vengeance inside the factory.**_

The mortals sighed with relief. They made it. Just in time.

_**Jason was impressed. Taking out three Cyclopes with nothing but a tool kit? Not bad. It didn't exactly scare him to hear how close he'd come to death, but it did make him feel horrible. He'd stepped right into an ambush and spent the whole fight knocked out while his friends fended for themselves. What kind of quest leader was he?**_

_**When Piper told him about the other kid the Cyclopes claimed to have eaten, the one in the purple shirt who spoke Latin, Jason felt like his head was going to explode. A son of Mercury**_

Hermes winced a bit, but was otherwise okay.

… _**Jason felt like he should know that kid, but the name was missing from his mind.**_

"_**I'm not alone, then," he said. "There are others like me."**_

"_**Jason," Piper said, "you were never alone. You've got us."**_

"_**I—I know … but something Hera said. I was having a dream…"**_

_**He told them what he'd seen, and what the goddess had said inside her cage.**_

"_**An exchange?" Piper asked. "What does that mean?"**_

Frederick gasped. "An exchange." He said. "That's where Percy is. An exchange of leaders. Jason must be the leader at the Roman camp, while Percy is the leader at the Greek camp. Hera took them both, wiped their memories, and placed them where the other camp could find them. All so they could reunite the camps and defeat the Earth. But something has to go wrong, that's too easy if it goes correctly."

The gods nodded. "Correct. Something did went wrong, though you won't find it out until the third book. So, Uncle, if you would." Athena said.

_**Jason shook his head. "But Hera's gamble is me. Just by sending me to Camp Half-Blood, I have a feeling she broke some kind of rule, something that could blow up in a big way—"**_

"_**Or save us," Piper said hopefully. "That bit about the sleeping enemy—that sounds like the lady Leo told us about."**_

_**Leo cleared his throat. "About that … she kind of appeared to me back in Detroit, in a pool of Porta-Potty sludge."**_

Hermes and Apollo laughed. This time Ares joined in.

_**Jason wasn't sure he'd heard that right. "Did you say … Porta-Potty?"**_

_**Leo told them about the big face in the factory yard. "I don't know if she's completely unkillable," he said, "but she cannot be defeated by toilet seats. I can vouch for that. She wanted me to betray you guys, and I was like, 'Pfft, right, I'm gonna listen to a face in the potty sludge.'"**_

The three kept laughing.

"Boys." Hera said. "Keep it together."

The boys stopped laughing.

"_**She's trying to divide us." Piper slipped her arms from around Jason's waist. He could sense her tension without even looking at her.**_

"_**What's wrong?" he asked.**_

"_**I just … Why are they toying with us? Who is this lady, and how is she connected to Enceladus?"**_

"She's his mother. Duh." Hermes said.

Poseidon sighed. Looks like Hermes was back to normal.

"_**Enceladus?" Jason didn't think he'd heard that name before.**_

"_**I mean …" Piper's voice quavered. "That's one of the giants. Just one of the names I could remember."**_

_**Jason got the feeling there was a lot more bothering her, but he decided he not to press her. She'd had a rough morning.**_

_**Leo scratched his head. "Well, I dunno about Enchiladas—"**_

Apollo, Hermes, and Ares laughed again.

"_**Enceladus," Piper corrected.**_

"_**Whatever. But Old Potty Face**_

Now all of the gods were laughing.

_**mentioned another name. Porpoise Fear, or something?"**_

"_**Porphyrion?" Piper asked. "He was the giant king, I think."**_

_**Jason envisioned that dark spire in the old reflecting pool—growing larger as Hera got weaker. "I'm going to take wild guess," he said. "In the old stories, Porphyrion kidnapped Hera. That was the first shot in the war between the giants and the gods."**_

The gods sobered. "Yes. It was." Athena said.

"_**I think so," Piper agreed. "But those myths are really garbled and conflicted. It's almost like nobody wanted that story to survive. I just remember there was a war, and the giants were almost impossible to kill."**_

"_**Heroes and gods had to work together," Jason said. "That's what Hera told me."**_

The mortals looked shocked. "You have to have both to kill the giants?" Sally asked for clarification.

Athena nodded. "That's the only way to kill them."

"Then how are they going to kill two giants if Lord Zeus closed Olympus?" Sally queried

Athena said, "We can't tell you."

Sally nodded, resigned.

"_**Kind of hard to do," Leo grumbled, "if the gods won't even talk to us."**_

_**They flew west, and Jason became lost in his thoughts—all of them bad. He wasn't sure how much time passed before the dragon dove through a break in the clouds, and below them, glittering in the winter sun, was a city at the edge of a massive lake. A crescent of skyscrapers lined the shore. Behind them, stretching out to the western horizon, was a vast grid of snow-covered neighborhoods and roads.**_

"_**Chicago," Jason said.**_

_**He thought about what Hera had said in his dream. His worst mortal enemy would be waiting here.**_

The gods and mortals tensed at the reminder.

_**If he was going to die, it would be by her hand.**_

"_**One problem down," Leo said. "We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?"**_

_**Jason saw a flash of movement below them. At first he thought it was a small plane, but it was too small, too dark and fast. The thing spiraled toward the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shape—and, just for a moment it became the smoky figure of a horse.**_

"_**How about we follow that one," Jason suggested, "and see where it goes?"**_

"Done." Poseidon said. He gave the book to Artemis.

Artemis looked down. "Great I'm reading from a boy's point of view." She huffed. "Anyway. _**Chapter 26 Jason." **_At least it's not Leo. She thought.

* * *

Addy


	25. Chapter 25

_**I don't own this. ENjoy**_

* * *

_**JASON WAS AFRAID THEY'D LOSE THEIR TARGET. The ventus moved like … well, like the wind.**_

"No dip. They are wind." Hermes said.

"_**Speed up!" he urged.**_

"_**Bro," Leo said, "if I get any closer, he'll spot us. Bronze dragon ain't exactly a stealth plane."**_

"Exactly." Hermes continued.

"_**Slow down!" Piper yelped.**_

_**The storm spirit dove into the grid of downtown streets. Festus tried to follow, but his wingspan was way too wide. His left wing clipped the edge of a building, slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulled up.**_

"_**Get above the buildings," Jason suggested. "We'll track him from there."**_

"Good idea." Athena said.

"_**You want to drive this thing?" Leo grumbled, but he did what Jason asked.**_

_**After a few minutes, Jason spotted the storm spirit again, zipping through the streets with no apparent purpose—blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, making cars swerve.**_

"Is that why Chicago is called the windy city?" asked Frederick. "Because of all the wind spirits who like it there?"

Athena nodded. "That and because of the wind that blows off of the lake."

"_**Oh great," Piper said. "There're two."**_

_**She was right. A second ventus blasted around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and linked up with the first. They wove together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down toward the street.**_

"_**Those guys do not need any more caffeine," Leo said.**_

"_**I guess Chicago's a good place to hang out," Piper said. "Nobody's going to question a couple more evil winds."**_

"Exactly why they like it there." Athena said.

"_**More than a couple," Jason said. "Look."**_

_**The dragon circled over a wide avenue next to a lake-side park. Storm spirits were converging—at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.**_

"Don't get too close." Esperanza said.

"_**Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asked. "I wanna throw something at him."**_

Hermes and Apollo snickered.

_**But Jason focused on the art installation. The closer they got to it, the faster his heart beat. It was just a public fountain, but it was unpleasantly familiar. Two five-story monoliths rose from either end of a long granite reflecting pool. The monoliths seemed to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spewed water into the pool.**_

_**Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it looked like a high-tech, super-size version of that ruined reflecting pool he'd seen in his dreams, with those two dark masses jutting from either end. As Jason watched, the image on the screens changed to a woman's face with her eyes closed.**_

Everyone shivered.

"_**Leo …" he said nervously.**_

"_**I see her," Leo said. "I don't like her,**_

"None of us like her." Hera muttered.

_**but I see her."**_

_**Then the screens went dark. The venti swirled together into a single funnel cloud and skittered across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout almost as high as the monoliths. They got to its center, popped off a drain cover, and disappeared underground.**_

The gods looked concerned. No air spirit would willingly go under ground.

"_**Did they just go down a drain?" Piper asked.**_

"Yes." Apollo said.

"_**How are we supposed to follow them?"**_

"Answer that question and you will be in pain." Artemis said after reading that part.

Apollo nodded hastily.

Artemis smirked behind the book. Sometimes it was nice to have a reputation as a man hating goddess.

"_**Maybe we shouldn't," Leo said. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the earth?"**_

_**Jason felt the same way, but they had to follow. It was their only way forward. They had to find Hera, and they now had only two days until the solstice.**_

The mortals paled.

"Only two days?" asked Tristan. How on earth had they done it? Travel a bit more than half way across the country, save him and Hera, and defeat what sounds like two giants.

The gods nodded.

Tristan was mystified.

"_**Put us down in that park," he suggested. "We'll check it out on foot."**_

_**Festus landed in an open area between the lake and the skyline. The signs said Grant Park, and Jason imagined it would've been a nice place in the summer; but now it was a field of ice, snow,**_

Everyone frowned at the mention of the snow.

_**and salted walkways. The dragon's hot metal feet hissed as they touched down. Festus flapped his wings unhappily and shot fire into the sky, but there was no one around to notice. The wind coming off the lake was bitter cold. Anyone with sense would be inside. Jason's eyes stung so badly, he could barely see.**_

_**They dismounted, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet. One of his ruby eyes flickered, so it looked like he was blinking.**_

"That's not good." Esperanza said, frowning.

"_**Is that normal?" Jason asked.**_

Artemis glared at Apollo and Hermes.

_**Leo pulled a rubber mallet from his tool bag. He whacked the dragon's bad eye, and the light went back to normal. "Yes," Leo said. "Festus can't hang around here, though, in the middle of the park. They'll arrest him for loitering. Maybe if I had a dog whistle …"**_

"Dog whistles are not found in machine shops." Hephaestus said. "Unless you are making or fixing one. But that's rare." He finished when he saw Apollo open his mouth.

_**He rummaged in his tool belt, but came up with nothing.**_

"_**Too specialized?" he guessed. "Okay, give me a safety whistle.**_

"That on the other hand, they have a lot of." Hephaestus stated.

_**They got that in lots of machine shops."**_

_**This time, Leo pulled out a big plastic orange whistle. "Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus, listen." Leo blew the whistle. The shrill sound probably rolled all the way across Lake Michigan. "You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly wherever you want. Just try not to barbecue any pedestrians."**_

The mortals looked nervous.

"He really wouldn't barbecue any pedestrians, right?" asked Tristan.

The gods shrugged.

_**The dragon snorted—hopefully in agreement. Then he spread his wings and launched into the air.**_

_**Piper took one step and winced. "Ah!"**_

Everyone looked confused.

"Her ankle." Apollo said. "The ambrosia must have worn off."

Tristan looked worried at the mention of his daughter's injury.

"_**Your ankle?" Jason felt bad he'd forgotten about her injury back in the Cyclops factory. "That nectar we gave you might be wearing off."**_

"_**It's fine." She shivered, and Jason remembered his promise to get her a new snowboarding coat. He hoped he lived long enough to find her one.**_

Zeus flinched. He had been trying not to act concerned, but actually he was fearful and worried to death about his son.

_**She took a few more steps with only a slight limp, but Jason could tell she was trying not to grimace.**_

"_**Let's get out of the wind," he suggested.**_

"_**Down a drain?" Piper shuddered.**_

Aphrodite made gagging noises.

Without pausing Artemis laid a hand on her arm and squeezed for a moment.

"_**Sounds cozy."**_

_**They wrapped themselves up as best they could and headed toward the fountain.**_

_**According to the plaque, it was called Crown Fountain. All the water had emptied out except for a few patches that were starting to freeze. It didn't seem right to Jason that the fountain would have water in it in the winter anyway. Then again, those big monitors had flashed the face of their mysterious enemy Dirt Woman.**_

The gods snickered.

_**Nothing about this place was right.**_

_**They stepped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.**_

_**Jason went first. As he climbed, he braced himself for horrible sewer smells, but it wasn't that bad. The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.**_

_**Piper and Leo climbed down after him.**_

"_**Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.**_

"_**No," Leo said.**_

Esperanza sniffled at the reminder.

"_**Trust me."**_

_**Jason frowned. "How do you know—"**_

"_**Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"**_

_**Jason tilted his head, listening, then pointed south. "That way."**_

"_**How can you be sure?" Piper asked.**_

"_**There's a draft blowing south," Jason said. "Maybe the venti went with the flow."**_

Athena nodded. The roman has had surprisingly good ideas.

_**It wasn't much of a lead, but nobody offered anything better.**_

_**Unfortunately, as soon as they started walking, Piper stumbled. Jason had to catch her.**_

"_**Stupid ankle," she cursed.**_

"_**Let's rest," Jason decided. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"**_

"_**Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it!"**_

Hephaestus smiled sadly. He remembered this.

_**Piper and Jason sat on a brick ledge while Leo shuffled through his pack.**_

_**Jason was glad to rest. He was still tired and dizzy, and hungry, too. But mostly, he wasn't eager to face whatever lay ahead. He turned his gold coin in his fingers.**_

_**If you are to die, Hera had warned, it will be by her hand.**_

Zeus flinched again.

_**Whoever "her" was. After Khione, the Cyclops mother, and the weird sleeping lady, the last thing Jason needed was another psycho villainess in his life.**_

"_**It wasn't your fault," Piper said.**_

_**He looked at her blankly. "What?"**_

"_**Getting jumped by the Cyclopes," she said. "It wasn't your fault."**_

Beryl grimaced. That won't stop him from blaming himself.

_**He looked down at the coin in his palm. "I was stupid. I left you alone and walked into a trap. I should've known…"**_

_**He didn't finish. There were too many things he should have known—who he was, how to fight monsters, how Cyclopes lured their victims by mimicking voices and hiding in shadows and a hundred other tricks. All that information was supposed to be in his head.**_

Hera flinched. "It was necessary, Jason." She whispered.

_**He could feel the places it should be—like empty pockets. If Hera wanted him to succeed, why had she stolen the memories that could help him? She claimed his amnesia had kept him alive, but that made no sense. He was starting to understand why Annabeth had wanted to leave the goddess in her cage.**_

Hera winced.

"_**Hey." Piper nudged his arm. "Cut yourself some slack. Just because you're the son of Zeus doesn't mean you're a one-man army."**_

Apollo and Hermes snorted.

_**A few feet away, Leo lit a small cooking fire. He hummed as he pulled supplies out of his pack and his tool belt.**_

_**In the firelight, Piper's eyes seemed to dance. Jason had been studying them for days now, and he still couldn't decide what color they were.**_

"_**I know this must suck for you," he said. "Not just the quest, I mean. The way I appeared on the bus, the Mist messing with your mind, and making you think I was …you know."**_

Aphrodite winced. "Stupid Mist." She muttered.

_**She dropped her gaze. "Yeah, well. None of us asked for this. It's not your fault."**_

_**She tugged at the little braids on each side of her head. Again, Jason thought how glad he was that she'd lost the Aphrodite blessing. With the makeup and the dress and the perfect hair, she'd looked about twenty-five, glamorous, and completely out of his league. He'd never thought of beauty as a form of power, but that's the way Piper had seemed—powerful.**_

Aphrodite's smile was wide.

_**He liked regular Piper better—someone he could hang out with. But the weird thing was, he couldn't quite get that other image out of his head. It hadn't been an illusion. That side of Piper was there too. She just did her best to hide it.**_

"_**Back in the factory," Jason said, "you were you going to say something about your dad."**_

_**She traced her finger over the bricks, almost like she was writing out a scream she didn't want to vocalize. "Was I?"**_

"Just tell them Piper." Tristan said quietly.

"_**Piper," he said, "he's in some kind of trouble, isn't it?"**_

_**Over at the fire, Leo stirred some sizzling bell peppers and meat in a pan.**_

Esperanza looked mystified. "I don't even want to know." She said.

"_**Yeah, baby! Almost there."**_

_**Piper looked on the verge of tears. **_

Tristan looked a little miffed. "If he makes her cry . . ." He left the threat open.

"_**Jason … I can't talk about it."**_

"_**We're your friends. Let us help."**_

_**That seemed to make her feel worse. She took a shaky breath. "I wish I could, but—"**_

"_**And bingo!" Leo announced.**_

_**He came over with three plates stacked on his arms like a waiter. Jason had no idea where he'd gotten all the food, or how he'd put it together so fast, but it looked amazing: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa.**_

Athena raised an eyebrow. "I agree with Ms. Valdez here. I don't want to know."

"_**Leo," Piper said in amazement. "How did you—?"**_

"_**Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up!" he said proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!"**_

_**Jason wasn't sure about tofu, but the tacos tasted as good as they smelled. While they ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. Jason was grateful Leo was with them.**_

"If only Leo was here to hear that." Apollo said suddenly.

"Why is that?" asked Esperanza concerned.

"You'll see, I'm sure, if you continue reading his thoughts." Apollo waved away.

_**It made being with Piper a little less intense and uncomfortable. At the same time, he kind of wished he was alone with her; but he chided himself for feeling that way.**_

_**After Piper ate, Jason encouraged her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up and put her head in his lap. In two seconds she was snoring.**_

"So . . . Piper and Annabeth snore." Apollo said.

Frederick and Athena raised their eyebrows. "Do you want to explain how you know that?" Athena asked threatenly.

"Oh, yeah, I might've already read the first series and let me tell you, Percy is hilarious. Like for example, he thinks Mr. D looks like a cherub that turned middle aged in a trailer park." Apollo said, cheekily.

Mr. D sputtered, while the others laughed.

"And he thinks Hades is the most god like god he has met."

Hades smirked while his two brothers huffed.

"And the his father looks like a beach bum."

Now Zeus and Hades smirked while Poseidon sputtered.

"And Athena looks like Annabeth and we all know how that turned out."

Athena raised an eyebrow.

"And that Aphrodite looks like Annabeth as well."

Athena and Aphrodite beamed.

"And that Ares looks like a guy that would make pro wrestlers run for their mommies."

Ares smirked.

"And that Hermes looks like his kids. Trouble makers, the lot of them."

Hermes grinned mischievously.

"He thinks Artemis is beautiful." Apollo gritted that out. "And that I look like Luke."

Hermes grin dropped.

"And that Zeus looks like a businessman."

Zeus looked annoyed. "Apollo."

"And that-"

"APOLLO." Zeus yelled.

"Yes, father?" Apollo looked up.

"We have a book to finish." Zeus said.

"Oh, right." He turned to look across at his twin. "Anytime now sis."

Artemis huffed.

_**Jason looked up at Leo, who was obviously trying not to laugh.**_

_**They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix.**_

"_**Good, huh?" Leo grinned.**_

"_**You should start a stand," Jason said. "Make some serious coin."**_

Apollo and Hermes laughed.

_**But as he stared at the embers of the fire, something began to bother him. "Leo … about this fire stuff you can do … is it true?"**_

_**Leo's smile faltered. "Yeah, well …" He opened his hand. A small ball of flame burst to life, dancing across his palm.**_

The mortals gasped.

"_**That is so cool," Jason said. "Why didn't you say anything?"**_

_**Leo closed his hand and the fire went out. "Didn't want to look like a freak."**_

"_**I have lightning and wind powers," Jason reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. You're no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly, too. Like jump off a building and yell, 'Flame on!'"**_

_**Leo snorted. "If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death, and I would be yelling something a little stronger than 'Flame on!'**_

Everyone laughed.

_**Trust me, Hephaestus cabin doesn't see fire powers as cool. Nyssa told me they're super rare. When a demigod like me comes around, bad things happen. Really bad."**_

Esperanza looked sad.

"_**Maybe it's the other way around," Jason suggested. "Maybe people with special gifts show up when bad things are happening because that's when they're needed most."**_

_**Leo cleared away the plates. "Maybe. But I'm telling you … it's not always a gift."**_

_**Jason fell silent. "You're talking about your mom, aren't you? The night she died."**_

Esperanza made a silent choking sound.

_**Leo didn't answer. He didn't have to. The fact that he was quiet, not joking around—that told Jason enough.**_

"_**Leo, her death wasn't your fault. Whatever happened that night—it wasn't because you could summon fire. This Dirt Woman, whoever she is, has been trying to ruin you for years, mess up your confidence, take away everything you care about. She's trying to make you feel like a failure. You're not. You're important."**_

The gods winced. That's gotta hurt.

"_**That's what she said." Leo looked up, his eyes full of pain. "She said I was meant to do something important—something that would make or break that big prophecy about the seven demigods. That's what scares me. I don't know if I'm up to it."**_

_**Jason wanted to tell him everything would be all right, but it would've sounded fake. Jason didn't know what would happen. They were demigods, which meant sometimes things didn't end okay. Sometimes you got eaten by the Cyclops.**_

Hermes winced.

_**If you asked most kids, "Hey, you want to summon fire or lightning or magical makeup?" they'd think it sounded pretty cool. But those powers went along with hard stuff, like sitting in a sewer in the middle of winter, running from monsters, losing your memory, watching your friends almost get cooked, and having dreams that warned you of your own death.**_

Now everyone winced.

_**Leo poked at the remnants of his fire, turning over red-hot coals with his bare hand. "You ever wonder about the other four demigods? I mean … if we're three of the ones from the Great Prophecy, who are the others? Where are they?"**_

_**Jason had thought about it, all right, but he tried to push it out of his mind. He had a horrible suspicion that he would be expected to lead those other demigods, and he was afraid he would fail.**_

Athena snorted. "Yeah, that turned out so well."

Ares grinned remembering that. "I don't know. That was some wicked fighting."

The mortals looked fearful.

"Fighting?" Sally asked.

Ares turned toward her. "Yeah, Jason and the sea br-"

Poseidon coughed and looked at Ares pointedly.

Ares winced and gritted out sarcastically. "Percy get into a fight in book three. While they have a good friendship going, the get possessed and fight. Only one of the girls save them and I ain't telling you which one."

The mortals gasped.

"Are they alright?" Sally asked.

Ares shrugged. "They are fine."

He turned back to Artemis.

_**You'll tear each other apart, Boreas had promised.**_

_**Jason had been trained never to show fear. He was sure of that from his dream with the wolves. He was supposed to act confident, even if he didn't feel it. But Leo and Piper were depending on him, and he was terrified of failing them. If he had to lead a group of six—six who might not get along—that would be even worse.**_

The gods snorted.

"_**I don't know," he said at last. "I guess the other four will show up when the time is right. Who knows? Maybe they're on some other quest right now."**_

_**Leo grunted. "I bet their sewer is nicer than ours."**_

Esperanza smiled sadly.

_**The draft picked up, blowing toward the south end of the tunnel.**_

"_**Get some rest, Leo," Jason said. "I'll take first watch."**_

_**It was hard to measure time, but Jason figured his friends slept about four hours. Jason didn't mind. Now that he was resting, he didn't really feel the need for more sleep. He'd been conked out long enough on the dragon. Plus, he needed time to think about the quest, his sister Thalia, and Hera's warnings. He also didn't mind Piper's using him for a pillow. She had a cute way of breathing when she slept—inhaling through the nose, exhaling with a little puff through the mouth.**_

Tristan twitched.

_**He was almost disappointed when she woke up.**_

_**Finally they broke camp and started down the tunnel.**_

_**It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Jason wasn't sure what to expect at the end—a dungeon, a mad scientist's lab, or maybe a sewer reservoir where all Porta-Potty sludge ends up, forming an evil toilet face large enough to swallow the world.**_

Apollo and Hermes tried to hold it in. They really did, but all of the sudden loud laughter burst from them, so infectious that everyone else joined in.

_**Instead, they found polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter M. Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.**_

"_**M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."**_

Everyone sobered. "Not Macy's something worse. Much worse." Aphrodite murmured.

"_**Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."**_

_**Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level**_

_**Furnishings and Café M: 1**_

_**Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2**_

_**Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3**_

_**Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons &amp; Sundries: 4**_

Everyone shuddered. That sounded horrible.

"_**Kennels for what?" Piper said. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"**_

"_**Or sells poisons," Leo said. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"**_

Apollo and Hermes laughed again.

_**Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."**_

_**The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready.**_

"_**Guys," he said. "You've got to see this."**_

_**Piper joined him and caught her breath. "This is not Macy's."**_

_**The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.**_

"That sounds beautiful." Maria murmured.

_**Aside from the stained glass ceiling and the elevator, Jason couldn't see any other windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators ran between the levels. The carpeting was a riot of oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise were just as bizarre. There was too much to take it at once, but Jason saw normal stuff like shirt racks and shoe trees mixed in with armored manikins, beds of nails, and fur coats that seemed to be moving.**_

"Now that sounds weird." Queen Marie said.

_**Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."**_

_**In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and on either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage—like an oversize canary cage.**_

_**Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club.**_

"Oh, I hope the satyr is okay." Sally muttered. She had a fondness for the satyrs after Grover had saved Percy's life so many times.

"_**Coach Hedge!" Piper said. "We've got to get down there."**_

_**A voice said, "May I help you find something?"**_

The gods growled.

_**All three of them jumped back.**_

_**A woman had just appeared in front of them. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model—maybe fifty years old, though it was hard for Jason to judge. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super-model way—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.**_

The mortals looked disturbed.

_**She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"**_

_**Leo glanced at Jason like, All yours.**_

"_**Um," Jason started, "is this your store?"**_

_**The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good … how do you say … first acquisition in this country."**_

_**She spoke with a pleasing accent, but Jason couldn't guess where from. Clearly she wasn't hostile, though. Jason started to relax. Her voice was rich and exotic. Jason wanted to hear more.**_

"What's happening to him? He should remember what Hera said, about that place being dangerous." Beryl said.

"He's being charmspoken. Him and Leo both." Aphrodite said distastefully.

Esperanza and Beryl gasped.

"What about Piper?" asked Tristan.

"She is a charmspeaker. It won't work on her." Aphrodite explained.

Tristan looked relieved.

"Lucky." Esperanza said softly.

"_**So you're new to America?" he asked.**_

"_**I am … new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"**_

_**Jason had heard of rich foreigners buying American department stores. Of course most of the time they didn't sell poisons, living fur coats, storm spirits, or satyrs, but still—with a nice voice like that, the Princess of Colchis couldn't be all bad.**_

Beryl and Esperanza listened worriedly.

_**Piper poked him in the ribs. "Jason …"**_

"_**Um, right. Actually, Your Highness …" He pointed to the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we … have him back, please?"**_

"_**Of course!" the princess agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?"**_

_**Jason hesitated. It seemed like a bad idea to give out their names. A memory tugged at the back of his mind—something Hera had warned him about, but it seemed fuzzy.**_

"Listen to it." Beryl said desperately.

_**On the other hand, Her Highness was on the verge of cooperating. If they could get what they wanted without a fight, that would be better. Besides, this lady didn't seem like an enemy.**_

"No." Beryl said.

_**Piper started to say, "Jason, I wouldn't—"**_

"_**This is Piper," he said. "This is Leo. I'm Jason."**_

_**The princess fixed her eyes on him and, just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, Jason could see her skull beneath her skin. Jason's mind was getting blurrier, but he knew something didn't seem right. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness looked like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and a soothing voice.**_

The mortals gasped.

Queen Marie looked queasy. "This is in 2011 right?" She asked.

Athena nodded.

"And Hazel is 13?" She continued.

Hades looked thoughtful. He knew where she was going with this. "Hazel won't be like that. The mortal was brought back by the earth mother. Hazel was brought back by Nico. A true son of Hades. She will be just like she was before. No added things."

Queen Marie looked happy. She turned to Maria. "Thank you." She said.

Maria looked confused and nodded after a moment.

Artemis started reading again.

"_**Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let's go shopping."**_

"Done." Artemis said. She tossed the book to Apollo. "Your turn."

Apollo deftly caught the book. "_**Chapter 27 Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**I don't own this. Enjoy.**_

* * *

_**PIPER WANTED TO RUN FOR THE ELEVATOR.**_

_**Her second choice: attack the weird princess now, because she was sure a fight was coming.**_

Tristan's face paled. "This is Piper's time to be the hero for her friends, isn't it?"

The gods nodded. "Next time they get in trouble will be Jason's." Athena said.

Esperanza leaned over as Apollo started reading again. "Now you know how I feel." She whispered.

Tristan said, "Thanks." back to her.

_**The way the lady's face glowed when she'd heard Jason's name had been bad enough. Now Her Highness was smiling like nothing had happened, and Jason and Leo didn't seem to think anything was wrong.**_

"Can I just say that right now, I hate charmspeak. So far we have that little tyrant at the camp and now we have this princess charmspeaking the boys. The only good that came from it was Piper's work on the Boreads and even then it was only with Aphrodite's blessing that it worked. I mean I can see the good it can do, but with all of the bad that happens with it . . . No offence Lady Aphrodite." Emily said.

"None taken. Many people hate it. And don't worry, with someone's help from the seven she gets really good at it." Aphrodite said proudly.

The seven's parents exchanged looks each one secretly hoping it wasn't their kid.

"Can I read now?" Apollo asked. At the many nods he received he picked up the book.

_**The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"**_

"_**Cool," Jason said.**_

"_**Guys," Piper interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this—princess—is really our friend—"**_

"_**Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," Her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's—cold and dark.**_

Apollo shivered as he read that. Python was enough for snakes for him. And having to face him twice was really too much. The only good thing was that he got to spend time with Will.

"_**Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"**_

_**Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper?"**_

_**Piper did her best to stare daggers at him: No, it is not okay!**_

"_**Of course it's okay." Her Highness put her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steered them toward the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."**_

_**Piper didn't have much choice except to follow.**_

_**She hated department stores—mostly because she'd gotten caught stealing from several of them.**_

Hermes lit up at that. "Please tell me she actually owns up to it." He pleaded.

Apollo read further and frowned. "Sorry bro. Not this time."

_**Well, not exactly caught, and not exactly stealing.**_

Hermes deflated. Then perked back up. "She'll admit it. One of these days she will." He vowed.

_**She'd talked salesmen into giving her computers, new boots, a gold ring, once even a lawn mower, though she had no idea why she wanted one.**_

Tristan's eyebrow raised further at each thing it had said she had "stolen".

_**She never kept the stuff. She just did it to get her dad's attention.**_

Tristan looked defeated.

"It'll be okay. You'll spend time with her now, right?" Sally asked.

Tristan nodded firmly. "Definitely."

"Well, then she won't do it anymore." Sally stated.

Tristan nodded again. "Thanks." He said, this time more sincerely to Sally. It was hard to not like Sally. Since she knew the most about the gods she was easily the leader of the group of parents. The voice of reason when things got tough and heated. Also the one to calm everyone down and the one to make everyone more determined. He wondered if she was somehow related to Aphrodite.

He tuned back in as Apollo started reading.

_**Usually she talked her neighborhood UPS guy into taking the stuff back. But of course the salesmen she duped always came to their senses and called the police, who eventually tracked her down.**_

_**Anyway, she wasn't thrilled to be back in a department store—especially one run by a crazy princess who glowed in the dark.**_

Hermes snickered at that. Apollo tried to keep the amusement out of his voice when he read that.

"_**And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."**_

_**The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks—some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside were every color, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells—ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.**_

Everyone wrinkled their noses.

_**The princess pointed to a bloodred vial—a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."**_

"_**Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"**_

"Pretty sure hangnails aren't a disease." Apollo said before reading further.

"_**Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial"—she pointed to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside—"will kill you very painfully."**_

"_**Awesome," Jason said. His voice sounded dazed and sleepy.**_

All traces of amusement fled the room at that statement reminding everyone of the peril that the three teenagers were in.

"_**Jason," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?" She tried to put power into her words, to snap him out of his trance with charmspeak, but her voice sounded shaky even to her. This princess woman scared her too much, made her confidence crumble, just the way she'd felt back in the Aphrodite cabin with Drew.**_

"Come on, Pipes you can do it." Tristan muttered, clutching the couch he was sitting on.

"_**Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"**_

_**The princess beamed at him. "Then we have potions for resisting fire—"**_

"_**Got that covered," Leo said.**_

"_**Indeed?" The princess studied Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen**_

"Trademark sunscreen . . . Jason . . . Colchis . . . Princess . . . need more information." Frederick was muttering.

…_**but no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or—"**_

"_**Wait." Piper was still staring at the red vial. "Could that potion cure lost memory?"**_

_**The princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"**_

_**Piper tried to keep her expression neutral, but if that vial could cure Jason's memory …**_

"Not good. Not there. Not now." Hera murmured, worried.

_**Do I really want that? she wondered.**_

_**If Jason found out who he was, he might not even be her friend. Hera had taken away his memories for a reason. She'd told him it was the only way he'd survive at Camp Half-Blood. What if Jason found out that he was their enemy, or something?**_

"Good instincts." Zeus muttered to Hera. "Might be the first child of her's I'll actually like."

"Me too." Hera whispered back.

_**He might come out of his amnesia and decide he hated Piper. He might have a girlfriend wherever he came from.**_

_**It doesn't matter, she decided, which kind of surprised her.**_

_**Jason always looked so anguished when he tried to remember things.**_

Beryl flinched at that.

_**Piper hated seeing him that way. She wanted to help him because she cared about him, even if that meant losing him. And maybe it would make this trip through Her Craziness's department store worthwhile.**_

"_**How much?" Piper asked.**_

_**The princess got a faraway look in her eyes. "Well, now … The price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me." Her gaze drifted to Jason. "Once, for instance, I met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it."**_

Something about that niggled at the back of Frederick's mind.

"_**From your own dad?" Jason still looked half in a trance, but the idea seemed to bother him.**_

"_**Oh, don't worry," the princess said. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing, strong …" She looked at Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."**_

Tristan looked slightly angry.

_**Piper tried to control her emotions, but she probably blushed. She got the creepiest feeling the princess could read her thoughts.**_

_**She also found the princess's story disturbingly familiar. Pieces of old myths she'd read with her dad started coming together, but this woman couldn't be the one she was thinking of.**_

"Oh, she's real alright." Hades sighed.

"_**At any rate," Her Highness continued, "my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me.**_

Hera snorted. "Jason was the best hero of that time. He certainly could have done it by himself."

_**I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment."**_

"_**Cheated?" Jason frowned, as if trying to remember something important.**_

"_**That's messed up," Leo said.**_

_**Her Highness patted his cheek affectionately.**_

Esperanza grew angry as well.

"_**I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"**_

_**Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."**_

_**Piper broke in: "So, the vial, Your Highness—how much?"**_

_**The princess assessed Piper's clothes, her face, her posture, as if putting a price tag on one slightly used demigod.**_

Aphrodite was angry. Her daughter wasn't an object.

"_**Would you give anything for it, my dear?" the princess asked. "I sense that you would."**_

_**The words washed over Piper as powerfully as a good surfing wave. The force of the suggestion nearly lifted her off her feet. She wanted to pay any price. She wanted to say yes.**_

The mortals looked worried. If Piper succumbed to her . . . The didn't want to think about it.

_**Then her stomach twisted. Piper realized she was being charmspoken. She'd sensed something like it before, when Drew spoke at the campfire, but this was a thousand times more potent.**_

Tristan turned anxious.

_**No wonder her friends were dazed. Was this was what people felt when Piper used charmspeak? A feeling of guilt settled over her.**_

Aphrodite beamed. "See, Emily, this is was makes Piper a good charmspeaker. She won't turn out like the others."

Emily nodded.

_**She summoned all her willpower. "No, I won't pay any price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"**_

_**Just for a moment, her words seemed to have some effect. The boys looked confused.**_

The mortals looked hopeful.

"_**Leave?" Jason said.**_

"_**You mean … after shopping?" Leo asked.**_

Then they sagged. Maybe by the end of the chapter they will be fine? The could only hope.

_**Piper wanted to scream, but the princess tilted her head, examining Piper with newfound respect.**_

"_**Impressive," the princess said. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear?**_

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "Got a problem with that?" She asked.

_**Ah, yes—I should have seen it. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?"**_

"_**But the vial—"**_

"_**Now, boys." She turned to Jason and Leo. Her voice was so much more powerful than Piper's, so full of confidence, Piper didn't stand a chance.**_

"Come on, Pipes, you can do it." Tristan murmured.

"_**Would you like to see more?"**_

"_**Sure," Jason said.**_

"_**Okay," Leo said.**_

"_**Excellent," the princess said. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."**_

_**Piper's hand moved to her dagger. She thought about her dream of the mountaintop—the scene Enceladus had shown her, a place she knew, where she was supposed to betray her friends in two days.**_

Esperanza and Beryl flinched. They didn't see any way possible they could do both, save Hera and Tristan.

"_**The Bay Area?" Piper said. "Why the Bay Area?"**_

_**The princess smiled. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?"**_

_**Then she led them toward the escalators, Jason and Leo still looking excited to shop.**_

"Okay. That's not natural." Poseidon said, disturbed.

"I'm done anyway. Who's next on the list Athena?" Apollo asked.

"Either Ms. Jackson or Ms. Valdez." Athena said looking at her notes.

The two women looked at each other. "I'll read." Esperanza said after a moment.

Apollo handed her the book.

"_**Chapter 28 Piper."**_

* * *

_**Addy**_


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